


Temporary: A Wish

by stickynote_chan



Series: Temporary [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chocked Full of References, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Future Fic, Gen, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Minor Violence, Multi, Other, Panic Attacks, Past Tense, Queer Themes, Queerplatonic Relationships, Swearing, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 07:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 39,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9061996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stickynote_chan/pseuds/stickynote_chan
Summary: Wiin had just moved into TreeHouse City; a whole new city, country for her to work out her issues. Eventually, she managed to somehow befriend a cute mess of a pre-med student, a pink-haired bookshop owner who's probably not just a bookshop owner, a dangerously pleasant-faced woman and many others all while trying to move on from her convoluted tragic backstory™ .





	1. Chapter 1

She’s on the rooftop. It's a bit too warm and the wind swirled with leftover smoke and a strange sticky humidity she's unused to but the view's gorgeous enough to paint. She was a terrible painter though so she does the next best thing; take a panorama with her old, half broken phone.

TreeHouse City was breathtakingly  _ beautiful _ . A museum of past and current eras; the living monument of the memory of millions. Buildings as old as the time of Earthians, and treescapes that still held the houses of the first Evians dotted through both sleek, modern solar-glass buildings and older ones still using the more bulky panels.

From her new apartment in the Eastern Quarter, she can still gaze across rooftops and see  _ it _ . See one of the most beautiful sight in the world of Evas; the oldest tree in the country, in the world,  _ Seclure _ .

It was said to be a gift from the Goddess of Death and Flora herself, Valfiore. The script comes easy to her mind.  _ And She said unto them, “Let this be a reward for humanity's return to grace.” _

The glimpse she had caught as her international traincarriage cut through the city’s centre and even  _ under  _ several of the tree's giant protruding roots was  _ beyond words _ . Something only a Goddess could bring to life. The sheer scale and beauty Seclure exuded as stood looming and guarding it's resident was of a magnitude she had never even dreamed of. No wonder it held the world’s most expensive and exclusive everything from homes to people to shops and brands.

(still, her mind whispered of ice and the glide of blades as the light of music pulsed through her and she knew that the memories of those times will always,  _ always _ make her heart race the most)

She hoped her photo caught at least some of its beauty.

It's midway through panorama, though, when she finally noticed the large banners spelling out someone's ‘Happy 12th Birthday’ and a small crowd mingling on the apartment building across the street. Wiin hesitantly continued her slow turn and hoped she can somehow blur out the strangers’ faces without destroying her second-hand laptop. She finished the panorama quickly enough and it's one of the best pictures she's ever taken, blurriness at the edges included; something that would have easily gotten her likes on instasnap if only her current phone didn't instantly glitch and stutter every time she even tried opening the app.

She smiled, lips hesitant and trembling like shards too broken to even be glass but it’s  _ there _ stretching more true on the corners of her lips than when she held a gold medal in front of a crowd of thousands.

This time, she would no longer be Wiin Empor of Sky Islands City but Wiin Temporar, free and without the weight of a thousand doubts swallowing her whole as she bled and cried to an empty world.  A whole country stretched away from her past.

_ Here, _ she would no longer suffer the silence of a white room and the averted gaze of a woman who barely cared. Here, she would no longer be the target of misery and have the mental construction that the only ones who loved her were graves because now she had  _ more _ . Here, she had  _ choice _ and  _ chance  _ and  _ creation _ at her availability. And, while memories swirled across her heart and still awoke her with tears and blackened the bags under her eyes, this ancient city was her doorway to a new future for a passage to move on from everything.

An uproar from the party had her snapping her head over because yelling equaling pain will always,  _ always _ be ingrained into her being. She flinched back when glass smashed against the concrete near her. The solar street separating the two apartments was barely a thin line; it was only a matter of a good arm and aiming to be able to chuck something from one building to the other.

It took a lot more than a while to get out of flight or flight mode but when it's subdued, insults are the first to get filtered through the blood rushing in her ears. How awfully normal.

"You complete filcher!" someone yelled.

There was a gasp. (Wiin didn't know people actually gasped but maybe it was a TreeHouse thing.) “Janua! There're kids here!"

“Sorry Caputa,” the first voice said, sounding not sorry at all. “But he has no right being here!”

“As I recall, being a resident of the apartment building means I can access the rooftop at any time and place. In fact, if anyone doesn't have the right to be here, it's you, you violent heathen." The voice was as freezing as the night air but suffocating in a way humidity could never hope to be. It's easy to spot the person who spoke with blizzards in their breath; the wide berth everyone held around them was a dead giveaway. Incredibly light coloured hair caught the afternoon sunlight in a glittering display of snowflake. Wiin shivered.

“How dare–” the one called Janua lept forward but is quickly restrained by a large person.

"Frost it, mate." The person ordered and Janua eased off with scowl. Seeing that there was no more fight about to happen, the person offered a nod to the other. “Sorry about that Shi."

Shi shrugged and replied drily, “Hardly your fault Lens. Some people just don't understand the meaning of public decency even at a kid’s birthday.”

“Like you're to talk, you sociopathic drag!" Janua took the bait and snapped back.

“Jan!" Caputa, an elderly straight-backed person, looked equal parts scandalised and murderous. “Apologise this instant!”

"Don't worry about it Miss C," Shi waved the insult off like droplets of rain. "Besides I think he should really be apologising to the person over where he threw his bottle at."

As one, everyone turned to look at Wiin. Her face drained of colour at the sudden attention and she held onto the brick railing like a strangler would the neck of its victim. The pounding in her ears played rhythm to her erratic heartbeat, a sound she was painfully familiar with. Still, somehow, she was able to meet red eyes from across the distance and tried not to flinch at the chill in them. Anger, rage, fire and hatred she could persevere through but she knew that blizzards would always so much more dangerous.

"It - it's n-n-n-no wor-worries!" she said before anyone else could. "The, uh, b-bottle didn't hit-hit me!"

It took less time to say all of that then it did to flee down the stairs to her apartment.

A new life? Spirits, what a joke.


	2. Chapter 2

It was crowded. Noisy with loud swearing coming from every corner. A little too warm even with the air conditioner blasting ice. The smell of coffee and something pungent swirled like an airborne toxin, uniquely fitting with the retro wooden design. Wiin had fallen in love with Selsta at first sight of the age-worn sign spelling out ‘Welcome to Selsta’, almost lovingly hung besides the coffee shop’s beaten up door. She was committed for life the moment she stepped inside. And ready to start a cult when the barista had actually managed to somehow discern her vague attempts at ordering --  _ correctly _ even. Her God of Luck must be have rerolled her fortune.

Making sure to always have a clear view of the ground, Wiin trekked her way to a vacated table with a self-consciousness that hunched her shoulders in a way she just knew all of her past instructors would rave at her about. It was so  _ rowdy _ and  _ alive _ and  _ loud _ and Wiin wanted to breathe in the warm brush of life just  _ brimming _ all around her until she gagged.

Exhaling a short sigh of relief as she sat down on one of the cushy little seats, she was incredibly grateful that none of the hot chocolate had spilled along the journey, it smelled absolutely  _ divine _ to someone who hadn't had it in what felt like eons.

With great care, she took out her order forms and sketchpad from a battered satchel bag she managed to stutter-bargain with a begrudging shopkeeper for. Her drink placed on the opposite side of the table, too hot to drink and too much of a risk for the delicate pages she needed.

Drawing had never been and will never be her expertise (in fact, they still looked like half-asleep children's sketching) but at least the doodles gave her a general idea of what arrangement to create and with what flowers. This was her first assignment from her new job at Flowey Sunshine, a bright and dazzlingly colourful flower shop she  _ adored _ , and she desperately wanted to not fail the expectations of her Manager.

Still it took a minute or two but gradually colours, shapes, flowers and symbolic meanings branched out in her mind, demoting all other outside influences to a vague awareness as she focused on the soon smudged pages of the sketchbook. Each order took several pages and a dozen more scribbles to figure out and even more concentration and thought. A cluster of ruby-blossoms, remove the dandelimas, no no don't add the hydrodragons, yes orchidnas are good, two of them would look better, rearrange that one to there…

It took him tapping her on the shoulder for Wiin to finally take notice of him. She does with a loud clatter. Her eyes are panic wide and back pressing against the wall in seconds even though he has his hands up in clear view and only a slight frown on his face that's not out of anger. It's Shi, the man with red winds swirling a hail storm in his eyes.

"Hey," his voice was flat but softer than the frost of yesterday’s evening, "it's alright. I just wanted to ask if I could sit here."

Breathe. Breathe. You need to  _ breathe _ . She took in a slow breath. Hold. Release. Slowly. Repeat. It took a few minutes but Shi was surprisingly patient (or maybe he just doesn't care) and he simply stood there, waiting.

She fiddled nervously with a pencil she had gripped too tight before she mentally processed his request. As subtly as she could, she glanced around and was amazed at how packed the place still was. "O-Oh, um, yeah you can sit down."

He seated himself easily enough and placed a laptop (and it was really a laptop, shiny and well cared for, and nothing like her battered and barely used one) on the table, everything slow and deliberate. Wiin wanted to tell him it's okay but no one's ever cared enough to try before. And please, could she be selfish for this just once?

"Maybe you should take a sip."

She blinked and he nodded to her forgotten chocolate on his side of the table.

"Oh." Wiin said and took it with both hands, its cooling warmth burning her winter skin. "Umm, s-sorry about freaking out..."

Shi shrugged, the frown was gone and his face resetted into a frigid neutrality like the night before. "Don't worry about it. I probably should have tapped the table first anyways."

She shook it off, "Oh, no, that, um, wouldn't have changed. I'm scared of, uh, sudden appearances."

He only hummed.

Then he raised an eyebrow at the cup still cradled within her hands until Wiin got the clue and took a small sip. It tasted like the barista had dumped half the cup with sugar, and only then remembered to add the milk, something that was possibly chocolate but ten times sweeter, and then decided what the doot and added another pack of sugar just for the fun of it. Wiin resolved to come back as something that felt ridiculously like calm settled her.  _ God Fwelix _ , she was never giving up sweets again for her career.

Shi looked away to set up his laptop.

After a while, Wiin relaxed when she realised that he wasn't going to try to engage her in any form of social interaction. Thank her gracious Fortune. Then it took another few minutes before she was able ignore that someone else was at the same table as her and get drawn back into her work.

“Hey.” She looked up from the messy sketch of her sixth order. Shi's laptop was in a cushioned folder in one hand, and his empty cardboard coffee cup in the other. “You're that person from the day before right?”

How shocking, he had remembered. Generally, people never did, not without her name and a time lapse of newspapers to remind them. Sometimes, it was a good thing. “Um, ye-yes?"

“I want to say sorry for the bottle throwing,” he said, with dipped eyes. “Janua's," there was a frown when he said the name and this time a cold hint of anger curled the edges of his lips, "a hot headed idiot but he wouldn't have thrown it if he'd known you were there, and I kind of provoked him so I'm also partially to blame. I sincerely apologies for involving you in our mess.”

“Oh, it’s, um, alright,” she floundered. What else was she supposed to say to that? Back at home (no, no, no, this is your home now remember?), apologies had been rare and non-existent to her.

He eyed her before nodding. “I'm Shi. Shi Kappa. He, him.”

She nodded back with a smile that felt like cracked glass. “I'm Wiin Em- “ she stopped, took a breath, and tried again, “Wiin Temp-Temporar. She, her. It's nice to meet you, Shi.”

**\--**

Wiin met him again half a week later. It’s at Selsta once again, mostly filled with teenagers crowded around tables with power plugs because it’s past 3 pm. The click clacks of their keypads rung dominant even over the sporadic crashes and someone yelling coming from the “Employers Only” room. That had spooked her the first time but eventually became another quirk she accepted that she would have to get used to as a soon to be regular customer of Selsta. Hot chocolate was  _ addicting _ .

“There’s no need to worry people, just a little arguing between co-workers. If you smell smoke, please do not panic, that's just the stove," a worker said quite calmly after a particularly loud _clang_ _smash bang_ of probably several somethings breaking. Everyone accepted those words even though this was a coffee shop and the cakes on display were imported.

This time it was her who approached the table (and, wow, what were the chances of it actually being the same table). All the others were occupied by frenzied looking students as they shamelessly took advantage of the free LiFi and she knew a warning sign from any form of distance and those eyebags and ten different cups were definitely it. Shi looked up when Wiin got within a metre and a half radius. The glacial gaze of a blistering storm thawed when they saw her hunched form.

“Wiin,” he said in greeting and tilted his head to the chair opposite him. She sat down a bit stiffly but the grip on her satchel and cup loosened when she caught the quiet “sorry” he whispered.

“Hello Shi.”

They lapsed into silence as she took out her work and set her hot chocolate on his side. Beyond a cursory glance, he hadn't seemed to mind and turned back to the laptop screen. She noticed the jagged mark of Inatz, God of Lightning, sketched onto its back and wondered if Shi may be was religious as well. She shrugged and turned away to work.

There's a brief moment of displeasure when her bandaged fingers stung as she bent them to draw. Wiin frowned.

She had been struggling trying to turn to life the nine sketches she managed to churn out at the coffee shop and extra four she had thought up at her apartment. She just couldn't make her fingers hold steady though and kept fumbling, she had never been very good with her hands and many had already criticised her for that. Eventually, Wiin had to ask her Senior to do the last four for her. He had sighed but complied at watery eyes. She was told to maintain the front desk for the rest of the day in exchange. Luckily, she was able to pull it off with little hassle; it was easy, too easy, how she could reach beyond her self-loathing and pull up the mask of perfect hospitality trained into her. The Manager pulled her aside to tell her she had a limit of arrangements now but still expected her to draw her designs for orders. By Fwelix was she pathetic.

A stifling weight carved against her chest but she blinked the misery away. At least she wasn't fired right?

Setting pencil to paper, Wiin distracted herself with her flowers and another crash coming from the “Employees Only” door.

Once more, it's Shi who interrupted the silence between them. Only, this time, it was to answer a trilling phone he fished out from his pocket.

The music was cute in a light bubbly way, she noticed because it wasn't something she expected from him.

"Miss C?" he asked and Wiin vaguely remembered the outline of an aging woman on the rooftop party. "He's gone missing again, no surprise there. Worry, huh? He's probably out drinking and playing that game. Yes, no... This should be any of my concern how?"

Wiin tried to be discreet as she glanced up between pencil strokes to attempt puzzle out the subdued emotions on Shi's face. (Her sketch turned out  _ horrible _ .)  People watching was what she had done for years and it was hard to break habit even if it was a bit creepy.

His face had been framed with curiosity at first before it was overtaken by a slight frown that progressively deepened by tiny degrees as the conversation continued. His tone stayed flat throughout it all. She wondered if he practiced that.

“That's in the past and you know it. Stop trying to deny that it's over,” Shi said and his face grew taut. He doesn't say anything and the muffled noise from his phone is all the more louder. Miss C said something then that caused red turning ice cold. He snapped the phone shut mid-sentence of whatever it was that the woman was saying, his temper a surprise to Wiin. It was the stifling of hurt, pain though that caused her to weaken with empathy.

Taking Shi's ceramic cup in both hands, she offered it to him. He stared at it then looked up at her before returning his gaze back down. Slowly, he took it and his hands were burning hot when they lightly brush hers. He sighed deeply after taking long sip, eyes like sweet frosting of display cakes in the windows of warm bakeries. She hesitantly smiled at him and the rest of his frown eased off.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Junior!" Her Senior called out from the front desk.

"Y-Yes?" She hurried through the door and a clipboard was thrusted into her face.

"Sign here." He directed her to the dotted line at the bottom. Wiin penned out her ‘ _ perfect’  _ signature before it's jerked away and brimstone-peonies are all but smothering her.

"Oh." The flowers she had ordered had arrived.

He smiled down at her. The Senior had been sort of nice to her since that day he had to make up for Wiin's uselessness. She had no idea why though but liked the easy working relationship between them too much to comment.

"You've finished your orders already, right?" Wiin nodded and he shooed her back to the Preparation Room. "You can go play with these until our switch then. Don't push yourself!"

She called back, “I-I won’t!”

The Preparation Room where the bouquets and specific orders were fiddled around with was small, cluttered and had the overbearing smell of mint and flowers that only kind of blended together. It was quiet and brightly lit with the large solar-glass windows installed to the side, sometimes blindingly bright when the sun shone at a specific time. The Roots of Valfiore was carved into each panel although Wiin hadn't even noticed until the Manager had pointed it out. The engravings were as dazzling as an assembly of Flowey Sunshine’s best flowers.

In some ways, Wiin loved the Prep Room, loved the mess of bows, ribbons, pretty looking plastic littered around in an organised chaos. Blooming flowers painted with the shades of the rainbows were carefully placed in different sized pots and trays, labelled with their names and meanings in bright purple tags. They were the most variable she had ever seen in one place and all of them were gorgeous. But at the same time, she hated the absolute silence the thick walls provided, hated the plain walls that trapped the colours in. Hated the fact that if she closed her eyes she could see the hospital and silence-stained service.

She laid down the brimstone-peonies on the table with gentle hands before fluttering around the work area to get the right materials. With dark shaded hydrodragons tied simple and loose formed a plain but pretty bouquet, good for indoor decorations with a shallow vase but also for weddings if kept in the thin ribbon.

Wiin managed another one before she accidentally fumbled and sliced her finger. Wincing, she hurried to the sink to wash it. It's a deeper cut than normal, she observed with a sigh as she squeezed the digit and more blood gushed out. Idly, she wondered how much of her blood had swirled down the drain during her lifetime before dismissing the thought. With a quick wipe, she dried her hand and placed one of her always prepared bandages around the finger.

She rested for a bit, eating a plain sandwich and washing out the taste with water. Curling and uncurling the finger until it stopped stinging, it doesn't take long until she's at the table again, bundled with antemoen coronaria and hera-berris in her arms. It's a bit harder this time. The arrangement she's thinking of required a more precise hand than hers. It takes half an hour to finish, placing each strand one by one before tying it all with a clear band and wrapping it in decorated plastic but she liked the end result.

Wiin took another short break, taking the time to inspect all the nicks she's gathered on her hands throughout her years in a moment of masochism. Too many scars to ever look pretty which was why her had been coach had always covered them with thin gloves as she danced for the cameras. Then Senior popped in, opening the door with a clang, and he blinked curiously at the sight of the bouquets. She had scurried out of the room and her train of thought before he could comment.

Her escape proved for naught as he followed her out with one of the hydrangea and peony arrangement in his hands. He passed by her before backtracking and raising a fist. "Neato."

The blunt sincerity had Wiin blushing like the Goddess of Fire herself had possessed her. Shyly, she bumped her own fist to his.

_ Like a weak breeze against rigid rock _ , she thought, a bit amused considering their religious leanings. Her God of Wind and his God of Ground.

She only realised he was heading towards their Manager's office a moment later. Wiin didn't have time to think more on it because a customer has entered the shop.

“Welcome!”

**\--**

The Senior had returned some time later while she was distracted and placed the flowers on the display shelf. Because of that, Wiin almost tripped over herself when she saw it and only years of practicing kept her from slamming her face into the floor.

**\--**

"Wiin!"

“Yes, M-Manager?!” She straightened up at the voice of the former three time world boxing champion turned flower shop Manager. She didn't and doesn't want to know the story behind her Manager’s retirement from her sport. She felt like she might cry if she did.

(Wiin knew though that when those lovely dark brown eyes were directed at her, they reflected bitter empathy and a too horrible understanding of the past she had abandoned. The both of them had loved so deeply before they needed flowers and gardens to secret away to.)

“Good job today, fledger," the woman said with a toothy grin as she patted Wiin with her only arm. “Ya can keep the rest of those brimstone-peonies ya bought.”

The flowers are handed to her with strong but infinitely caring hand. “O-oh, t-thank you!”

"Get going fledger before I have to pay ya overtime."

She managed a small smile at the wink but by then the Manager had already turned around. Her exit was accompanied by the chime of a tinkling bell and the fragrance of flowers swelling to the sound of her clanky heart.

**\--**

After finding out that the only place where she can actually hold the peonies were in her bowls and glasses, she took them with her to Selsta. Feeling that it was better than to leave them to suffer in insufficient homes. It gave her trouble trying to balance them and the hot chocolate while trying not to fall over in a splendid display of her insecurity-fueled clumsiness. There were several near misses of bumping into several chairs and tables, and a few times where she overbalanced trying to keep everything upright but thankfully she didn’t trip over. Small mercies.

A glance around revealed that Shi and his laptop was nowhere to be found.

Hurriedly sitting down at an empty table before Fwelix decided her Luck need to run, she placed the cup in its usual position of being as far away as possible and took out her sketchpads and the order form. Wiin managed maybe half of the first order but it wasn't long until she had abandoned it altogether and started fiddling away at the flowers in her lap. There wasn't anything big she could do without all the materials the Prep Room provided so she had to stick to what she had on hand. Ruffling around her bag provided a green rubber band, tiny white flowers she couldn't for the life of her remember where she had gotten from and two slightly rusted paper clips. Not even a pair of scissors which meant she'd have to snap the stems to get them the right height.

Knowing that her options were limited on what she could do (if she even could make anything with these things), Wiin decided on something she hadn't done since she was a small child with the wildflowers of the old courtyard and a dead cousin’s voice softly instructing her how to weave the stems together. Maybe that's why she did it now in Selsta, in TreeHouse City, in her new home. Here without the taunts like kicks and words like punches as the misery ripped away everything she held, she could do what she wanted, right?

Shi appeared some time later, settling himself into his seat and offering a tilt of the head as greeting. But he didn't look away once he saw the flowers and raised an eyebrow.

"A flower crown?"

Blooming like a cherry-lily, she held it higher for a surprisingly interested Shi. “Y-Yes, I got some of the leftover peonies from work and had the wood antemoen on hand.”

He hummed, eyes focused solely on the shimmering red and glistening white. Wiin had to bite her lip to keep the giggle in but the smile wrangled out.

“Do-Do you want to try it on?” She asked with eyes wide in hope. He shot her a look and, smile shattering, Wiin ducked her head as she budded up again.

Of course, he wouldn't want to. How stupid of her to think so. The brimstone-peonies were large and clumsy while the wood antemoen were too small and brown with wilting.

Pale hands took the flower crown from trembling fingers and pushed onto a head of windswept hair.

She sniffled a little at the sight even as a shaky smile crossed her lips. Shi looked ridiculous and he knew it too as he sighed.

He didn't take off the flowers.

Wiin made a tiny bouquet out of the leftovers and gave it to a passing blonde who had been gushing as Wiin made it. She got a ' _ 50% Off Voucher at Mix and Fix _ ' shoved into her face and a, "Ask for an Al and tell him that Harb sent you!" for it.

Wiin stared wide eyed after the blonde as they sped out the exit.

"This is why you don't hand things to strangers," Shi said when she glanced at him although his voice didn't sound reprimanding.

She had to bite her lip to stop the smile that wanted to appear.


	4. Chapter 4

Walking down pathways next to panelled streets designed more for the far older generation of cars than modern autos, Wiin rubbed her hands together. Her scars  _ ached _ . And that was never a good thing, not for her. Biting her lip, she quickened her careful pace to Selsta.

Pushing the heavy door open, the embrace of warm smells had her sighing in relief. Shi wasn't in his usual seat and instead beckoned a hand for her to stand next to him in the line.

"Hi Wiin," her name on someone else’s lips hadn't been a good sign for a long time.

Stepping behind him, she wondered if ‘Wiin Empor’ had ever been said without an undercurrent of an insult. Maybe a long time ago. But, maybe simply being Wiin will change that. "Hello Shi."

Breathing around him was easiest when they didn’t talk as it was with everyone she knew. So they slipped into a silence that was bearable.

"Oh come  _ on _ Ravel, it'll only be a few fucking days to Hunts Vant."

Hunts Vant, she thought mildly before there's a weird snap of realisation that the person was referring to the  _ Hunts Vant _ and because of her self-hatred had always been damning, her mind jumped the connection of the area to Finnel, to  _ Sky Islands _ , to her  _ nightmares _ .

She felt like someone had clogged her throat with glass as a burning nausea gurgled in her empty stomach. It was her hands, though, that felt the worse, like they were  _ burning _ with white flames tracing the vines of silver scars like every accident that had caused her skin to rip was condensed into a single too long moment and all she could feel was the  _ painpain _ **_pain_ ** on her skin. It wasn't true she knew, that it was all in her mind and a neurological effect or something that a doctor had tried to explain to her when she had been too tired and too numb to actually listen. It  _ hurt _ .

Fisting them together, she stuttered out, "S-Shi," too quiet, again, " _ Shi _ ," he looked back, "I-I need the r-restroom, u-um, c-ca-"

Slightly wide-eyed, he was already waving her off. "Go. Careful."

She didn't need further prodding to start pushing her way to the bathroom, the plague of burnt memories poisoning her mind. The feeling of vomit nursed the back of her throat.

She ripped toilet paper and leaned over the porcelain barely in time for the first wave of stomach acid and dry heaving.

After a few moments more of wallowing, she tripped out the stall and washed her face with a splash of warm water that felt like the first breath after submersion. She ignored the gazes of everyone else who had been inside and probably saw that embarrassing display of weakness. Quickly, she stumbled out of the toilets wiping her wet face with the too long sleave of her too big jumper. It felt like her spirit had been flushed down that toilet while whatever was left behind was only just barely a daze of sluggish reality.

Shi had just finished ordering when she stepped behind him again. Wiin could feel his gaze on her.

"Can I check your temperature?" He asked quietly, raising a hand.

She nodded but couldn't help the slight reel back when his too hot skin touched hers.

"Your skin’s very cold," he said. Wiin wasn't surprised, she had had ‘winter skin’ since she was born. "Do you feel hot? Dizzy?"

She shook her head to both and quietly ordered when he backed off. The barista traded her money with a bunch of napkins, a gentle lilt of lips to their face. She whispered a delayed thank you before moving down the counter. Two cups waited next to Shi.

They grabbed one each and took a sip. The usual delicious taste of overwhelming sweetness encased her dull senses with blessed comfort but there was a something different about it. A new flavour. A sharp taste reminding her of-

“M-Mint?”

“Hazelnut.”

Wiin looked at Shi who looked back. Turning to stare down at the cup in her hands, she saw the small inscription on the side but it still took a few moments before she was able to comprehend it. "Su...Su-Shi? You're a doctor?"

“Pre-med,” he corrected, cringing a bit. Her lips twitched like a butterfaerie caught in a viper-spider's web. How unfortunate, the combination of the common slang for doctor, ‘su’, and his name. "You like the hot chocolate here?”

Wiin nodded absently, the butterfaerie smile fluttering away and with it, her awareness of everything around her. "Selsta makes the sweetest,” she said distractedly, on autopilot. Shi took his cup and led them to a table before sitting down across from her.

(There were free tables today.)

"That’s true. Have you ever tried Anex's desserts?" 

She looked at the table and only heard herself say, "No, I'm sorry."

"You should try them sometime then. It's a small bakery on Blue Street, in the Northern Quarter, next to the Nova Aquarium."

"Okay…” she said automatically. “Okay."

**\--**

Wiin got back to herself sometime later, staring at a blank page and holding onto a half empty cup she had robotically been sipping on. Glancing up only showed Shi scribbling away on a thick journal and his laptop firmly shut.

"I'm sorry."

He set his pen down. A knowing tilt to his head as he questioned her softly. "Can I know what triggered you?"

Lots of things. The pain weaving across her hands. The nightly routine of waking up with a choked back sob. The haunted memories of coffins and tombstones. The quietness of an empty room. "The w-weather," she answered truthfully even if it wasn't fully.

He cocked his head to the side. "Because it's getting colder?"

"I... m-moved to get away from a really cold place,"  _ to get away from a nightmare of a reality  _ wasn't said.

"You're from the South then?"

Wiin nodded, decided it was too late to draw anything and packed everything up.

**\--**

Shi handed her a cup the next time they met. It's made exactly how she liked it. _ Wiin  _ and a flower was scribbled cutely on the side.

The baristas called her Wiin Flower from that day on.

**\--**

Wringing the strap of her bag so hard it's slim life span further shortened, Wiin resisted the urge to fidget as she waited in line. She failed.

It felt like a whole month had passed but soon enough she was first to order and her mind reeled when the barista asked her what would she like.

Wiin liked to think she was, while not the best (a point like her  _ many _ instructors had continually bludgeoned her with) and with a horrible habit of stuttering when overwhelmed with emotional turmoil, a decent enough speaker. At least enough so she could get a point across to the other party. All forms of self-assurance met a swift and brutal murder when it took her almost two minutes to wrangle out her fairly simple order.

(Mother would be writhing in outrage.)

"T-Two, umm," swallow, "Two-Two h-hot cho-choco-colates," a pause too long, "o-one with, uh, hazeln-nut and-and the o-other, um," her lips fumbled around the word, "min-min-mint, pl-please."

_ Strike me now Valfiore, Goddess of Death. Allow your divine daughter, Hare, to swiftly end my suffering. _

She had been lucky enough to have the same barista who witnessed her attack because they’re patient through the mess of words strung together to form what might have been a sentence. Though Wiin thought it would have been alright for them to snap, expected it even. Instead, they smiled quite ( _ really _ \- if Wiin was being honest) cutely, and chirped, “One hazelnut for Wiin Flower and one mint for Su-Shi right?”

She jerked her head in an affirmative, handed over the money with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking and moved down the counter. The drinks were ready by the time she wobbled over. They're placed securely into a cardboard container and Wiin almost cried from the genius foresight of brilliant baristas. Instead, she thanked the person by dumping the rest of her change into the tiny tip jar before snailing away.

That could have gone much better but at the same time much  _ worse.  _ It was worth it in the end if only to hear Shi's voice, soft like snow that hadn't hardened yet. "Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

A drizzling nightmare of wet misery coated the grey landscape. Wiin watched through the large windows as rain pelted with a vengeance against those unfortunate enough to still be outside. She gave her sympathies, flashes of a day frozen over by  _ cold, pain, so cold, mom  _ please _ ,  _ whirling around in her mind like a winter's blizzard. Terrible and unwanted.

"If the weather doesn't let up by tomorrow, a lot of people will be mad," Shi said offhandedly, chin tucked into his palm as his gaze followed the shadows of dejection shaped in vaguely humanoid forms.

Cocking her head to the side, she absently swirled a few tiny marshmallows around the chocolate liquid with her plastic spoon. Shi had gotten her a ceramic cup today. The marshmallow were, apparently, a result of a mishap with some order or something that had the cafe giving out the white sweets as a ‘Random Freemallow’ event. Shi had lucked out and gotten some. And, because he really was an awfully nice person as Wiin had quickly figured out, offered them to her when he caught her looking. Wiin wasn’t one to refuse sweets but only accepted after he agreed to keep half.

"Why?" she asked.

"We have an annual festival usually held tomorrow, the Fire Stone Festival,” he explained. “Apparently, the Republic had a bunch of major religious cults all dedicated to Rave and, to be cool with them, the TreeHouse politics started this city-wide religious event in her honour. Although, today, people just take advantage of the day off. Most workplaces close down early and allow everyone to go join the party in the streets. For some reason all the museums and galleries decided to allow free entrance as well. And it's become custom that a few small plays give out free tickets. Honestly, the only Rave part I think are the ceremonial dances and the ornaments now.”

“Zaihuo’s food is nice though,” Wiin said and winced when she realised how out of nowhere that probably came from. Just because this was the Fire Goddess’s event doesn't mean the people who celebrated it were from the country that was the centre of it.

But Shi only nodded. “Yeah, when I first came here I expected to find some Spicy Whale-Tuna or at least some Fin Soup Fire. But, you just get the usual street stalls you see everywhere else in the Republic.”

Wiin frowned despite herself. There's nothing wrong with Republic food and, as multicultural as the place was, it's a lot easier to get food from other places than where she came from. It's simply a strange thought that a Fire Festival wouldn't be celebrated with too spicy food. “That's a shame.”

“Well, it probably won't matter for now.” He lifted his shoulder. “The event might get canceled because of the rain. It's real bad luck to celebrate the Goddess of Fire in the the Rain God’s element after all, but a lot of people look forward to it."

Shi, Wiin figured out as she chewed on a marshmallow, talked a lot when explaining which was endearing considering how much he barely speaks most of the time. "Will you be going?"

He shrugged, looking away from the window to stare at her with eyes that burned burgundy in the fluorescent light. She maintained eye contact for a few seconds before habit made her break it.

"Maybe," Shi answered after a beat of silence. "I might just walk around or just hang out on the roof. I'm not exactly a festive person."

"O-Oh, okay."

She chewed on another marshmallow. It left a sticky aftertaste in her mouth.

**\--**

"Wiin."

She peeked up from wrapping her belongings into tissues and the decorative plastic the Manager had given to her. Probably not what the woman had intended them to be used for but Wiin  _ really _ couldn't get her sketchpad wet. She was sure Manager would understand.

"Don't you have an umbrella?" Shi asked, his own already in hand.

"Um, no, I left mine at home?" He frowned but she frenzied on, "It's okay though! I can, um, walk home, it's only a little rain after all."

Just at that moment, table wobbling thunder boomed and sharp lightning cracked across the window. Several people shrieked. The quiet murmur that had floated around the café stilted to a hush as the solar-glass of the café rattled. Her hands fumbled on the last wrapping and it crinkled.

"Only a little rain," he repeated.

She winced.

He sighed. "Come on, we can walk home together."

"W-What?"

He looked amused -- his pose relaxed in a way she'd only seen through stolen glances. "You live in the apartment block in front of mine so it'll be easy for me to walk you to yours and head home after.

"But I'd-I'd bother you," she tried. The weather really was a ‘nice afternoon’, especially compared to the eternal blizzard clouding over the Sky Islands.

"No you won't." He caught her eyes and Wiin stopped. "I don't think you would be any trouble to me."

There was a moment of silence.

"Okay," she whispered.

**\--**

There was more than a little truth when it was said Wiin and a tantrum throwing weather  _ did not _ mix. Experience had taught her that at the very least. As it was, Shi’s bangs were all but plastered against his forehead and her clothing was a sticky, uncomfortable mess two minutes out of Selsta. Shi stumbled and Wiin barely caught him before he fell into a puddle or the street although, by now, there was honestly no difference.

They were completely soaked not even at the halfway mark back to their apartments. Because, really, while it did an admirable attempt, the small umbrella clearly intended for a single person could only cover so much of two people. With the wind pelting droplets after droplets against them with unadulterated childish glee, the fact that it hadn't blown away or collapsed was pretty incredible. Wiin was very glad that she had wrapped everything up and thanking all Seven Deities for her forethought. (Except Nova, because the God of water and rain was probably not someone to thank at that moment.) There was no way  _ anything _ she had would have survived otherwise.

Eventually, and after twenty-five minutes on what was usually a fifteen minute walk, they managed to get to her apartment despite the weather's woes. Before Shi could turn away though, she quickly tugged on his sleeve.

“T-Thank you.” There are raindrops running marathons on her face as she formed the words through shivering lips.

He looked surprised and a brief uncertainty crossed his face even as he nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“Thank you,” she repeated again, slower, more sincere, and tried to look at him.

Shi's expression softened and his lips trembled for a moment but flattened into a neutral line before it could form what might have, could have been a smile. Her breath caught all the same.  _ Smile _ , she thought.

But he only stepped back. “I’ll see you again, Wiin.”

"Good bye." She watched his silhouette as he ran back across the street. And continued to stand on the doorstep of her apartment even as Shi disappeared into the grey landscape.

She breathed in, filled her lungs with rain and hidden butterfaeries. Held long enough for the downpour to suddenly spike and released her breath of silent wishes.


	6. Chapter 6

The lobby had towels in a tray when she finally stumbled through the doors. Wiin gratefully took one and vigorously ruffled her hair until it was only semi-wet.  _ Thank Fwelix _ .

The Receptionist wandered in from the back room at that moment, steaming cup in one hand and a eReader in the other. Wiin shyly waved at her.

"Oh, Miss Wiin! Welcome back!” She perked up with a bright smile and flushed cheeks. Wiin worried that the girl had caught a cold with the frosty weather and resolved to get her something for good health. The Receptionist had been so kind to Wiin from the moment she had moved into the apartment, it really was the least she could do. "His highness, the Landlord, said to 'take off your shoes and socks before going further than my darn lobby'." She did a joking imitation of a much deeper voice which Wiin barely suppressed a small giggle at. This only made the other smile even wider. "But you're wearing stockings so I can't tell you to take them off here!"

Obediently, she slipped out of her shoes before the Receptionist had finished. The tiles were warm with the heater and she wiggled her toes.

"Thank you," she said quietly and wasted little time to reach her room when she caught sight of the form of the landlord lurking in the shadows.

"Oh, no problem Miss Wiin!" the girl called behind her and then shrieked as the landlord, no doubt, scared the dreamlight out of her.

There was something relieving about the way her apartment door clicked shut behind her no matter how many times she heard it. It was like being safely separated from the world beyond. Always allowing a vague awareness of the outside but still disconnecting her away enough that it wouldn't intrude on her too much. The perfect balance for Wiin.

Her apartment was tiny but tidy -- more because of a lack of belongings than actual organisation -- although it was a bit run down. It was her home though no matter how crappy and she wouldn't give it up for the world. Besides, the extra thin walls always provided the latest happenings from Apartments 23 and 21 and who would give up free melodramas.

(A.23 had a couple who were in the middle of escaping their parents and apparently eloping although they were quickly finding themselves in many arguments that Wiin guiltily enjoyed on nights when she couldn't sleep. A.21, on the other hand, was about another couple who was a bit more sweet and they sounded absolutely adorable each time they were excitedly exclaiming over their friends. Wiin kind of wanted to give both of them baskets but always skittled back before she could even dare touch her equipment.)

She dumped her boots onto the ‘ _ Welcome home! _ ’ mat that the last tenant had left behind and hadn't bothered to come back to retrieve.

First and most importantly, she checked on the little row of cacti on she had placed on the window pane. They were tiny and healthy, thankfully. She cooed at them and ran a hand against their individual pots. Senior and Manager had given them to her after her first full month of work.

Then her jacket, shirt, shorts, and stockings were all replaced with much drier though equally cold pyjamas. The wet clothes were dumped into the dirty clothing basket which she'll hopefully, eventually take down to the communal washing/drying room, maybe. One day. Yes, she was putting that off as long as she could, don't shame her. What if she  _ met  _ other people?

She relaxed into her basic bed. Funds had been dangerously short after the whole moving so beside the inbuilt kitchen, the bathroom and her wardrobe of suppressed memories, there wasn't anything else except this bed. But, she had been sort of saving for maybe getting a cheap couch though that was still probably a few weeks away yet. Wiin didn't exactly like looking at money and had thus avoided looking at her bank account.

With trepidation, Wiin carefully examined her belongings. Her bag falling at the seams and quite possibly breaking apart in the worst moment was a fate she had resigned herself to but it was still usable until the inevitability. The sketching set had thankfully came in a tin case so nothing got ruined there while her sketchpads, although a little damp, were not unsalvageable -- a miracle in itself.

**\--**

_ dont _

The next day, she got a phone call from the Manager that even though the Festival (the Manager had been surprised when she knew about it) was cancelled, Wiin didn't have to come today.

_ leave _

She hung up after stuttering out a short okay. Her hands were hurting and she dropped the phone on her bed before it could crash onto the floor.

_ me _

She stayed in the confines of her blanket for an hour before eventually rolling out of it without falling face first into wooden floorboards. Plain breakfast followed by a gulp of water with a pill was all she could manage before she collapsed back into her bed, and didn't move from for the rest of the day beside going to the bathroom. It felt like someone was squeezing her body, and just kept on squeezing even when all the emotions were as numb as the graves that burned her memories.

_ please _

**\--**

"Do you want to watch a play or two for the festival?" Shi asked a weekend later, head once again relaxed into his palm.

Her hand jerked and the pile of cheap pencils she had been retrieving tumbled. Fortunately, Shi grabbed it before it toppled over the edge of the table. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him.

"W-What?"

He repeated his question, slowly but not in a condescending way, "Do you want to join me in a social setting that isn't Selsta?"

"W-With  _ me _ ?"

"Of course, we're the only ones here after all."

Amazingly enough, Selsta was empty with only them and a lonely barista (not the cute one) who was more concentrated on playing a game on their phone than tending the counter. It might be due to the rainclouds currently having an on and off relationship with the sky for the past four days straight. Most people didn't want to risk getting wet and had stayed inside. Most people weren't Shi and Wiin.

As the silence dragged on, he dropped his hand from his chin and fiddled with the pencils still in his hold.

It took her blinking a couple of times to snap out of it. The reply was a little breathless but her lips are curling into a stupid smile that she pulled out of a dusty attic but was no less genuinely thrilled to find.

"Okay."

His eyes looked like fireworks.

**\--**

"The weather map said the crappy weather will go away by tonight or early tomorrow. The Rave Fest. Committee announced that the Festival will be held a few days after the rain stops. Most of the free plays are sponsored by RFC so they're contracted to only show during the Festival,"  Shi was explaining as they walked home.

The rain had stopped but on the cautious side, they had their umbrellas ready. A few people slouched by them every so often shivering into their winter coats. She tugged at the sleeves of her jacket and stared with more than a little envy as a person passed by with a particularly warm looking coat. The temperature barely registered to her southern resilience but still it was the symbolism that counted.

"Don't you have something warmer?" Shi asked as he followed her gaze.

"Mo-Money is, umm, well- I don't like, uh, spending it. And besides, I don't really feel the cold.”

The majority of the money she had been given in the Sky Islands had been used on moving to TreeHouse City, getting her apartment, and the rent until she had managed to get her first paycheck. By that point though she had barely any savings left and she refused to get any loans and, even if she could, she fought off calling  _ relatives _ to borrow anything of  _ theirs _ . But with the help of the Receptionist (truly, bless the girl’s merciful luck), her income had been neatly divided and put into a budget that allowed her at least the ability to enjoy a hot chocolate four times a week and be left with some savings in her bank while also giving a small weekly donation to the children in trouble homes organisation that helped her. Despite it all though she was living happily and, while not as luxuriously as her past, comfortably.

"Tuition fees?"

She shook her head and felt a little embarrassed when she replied, "No, I, uh, didn't go to university."

But he only only looked at her with curiosity. "So you went straight to work or like an apprenticeship?"

"I got a degree in floristry. And, um, you?"

"I'm in my second year of studying at Intuition Uni. although I'm on my holidays right now. Most of the debt is paid away actually."

"Al-Already?" She asked, she’d heard the stories.

"My parents are generous." Shi huffed out a short breath through his nose.

(She realised then that was just how Shi laughed normally and wondered how many times he had done that before she knew what the action truly meant.)

Water droplets splattered from mullish clouds, the rain had gotten back with the sky it seemed. They shot accusing looks upwards and opened their umbrellas. To make matters worse, the wind decided it hadn't been active enough and proceeded to splash ten puddles worth of water into them. (Wiin felt mildly betrayed by Fwelix.) Their umbrellas managed to block some but the rest slammed into them with gleeful fervour. Like last time, they were dripping wet when they reached her apartment.

“Even as used to the rain as I am as a Akarementa native, I hope this isn’t the case every time we walk home,” he said, pushing wet hair of his eyes. He sounded not angry at the very least.

Wiin tugged at her clingy collar with a frown, the minor restriction around her neck was uncomfortable. “Please don’t jinx it, Shi.”

He puffed out a breath and muttered an apology. The rain lulled with gentle harmony when he handed her his phone. “Here, enter your phone number please."

It took her a long moment to clear the tangled puzzle of numbers in her head and an even longer time to carefully to type out the correct digits. His fingers were warm when they brushed against hers to get the phone back.

"I’ll text you later to discuss the outing, yes?"

"Y-Yeah."

"I'll see you again, Wiin."

"Bye Shi." She said and like last time didn't go in even as he ran across the street. This time though she could see him looking back, just briefly when he was closing the door. It was enough for him to catch her staring and Wiin hoped the expression that crossed his face wasn't one of annoyance. But the rain blurred her eyesight and she'd never know.

She went inside sooner than last time, toweled her hair dry and smiled at the reception girl who proudly displayed the fruit basket Wiin had given her. The woman didn't seem all that well despite her assurances and had a bright flush staining her cheeks. She fled upstairs to her room when the landlord swooped in with hawkish eyes and a smile that hunted for money. Inside, she closed her eyes and slowly breathed in and out. She felt the closest to contentment she had in years of mortal torment and wondered whether it was fear or exhilaration that was rushing through her veins.


	7. Chapter 7

Wiin was in the middle of opening the door to the Prep Room when her phone trilled. She startled, lost her grip on the handle and slammed into the door with a too loud bang. Hissing, she tentatively touched her face. She wasn't bleeding which was a bright side even though she knew she'd be sporting a pretty bruise for a while.

"Junior?" Senior appeared, expression filled with concern.

Her hands squeezed. "I'm fine, hit the, uh, door."

He scanned her face. The close scrutiny made her squirm even if it was with good intentions. He sighed and deemed nothing too bad but had her promise to apply an ice pack anyway.

It was only when she was pressing the bagged ice to her cheek did she remember the reason to her intimate connection with the inanimate wood. Fishing out her phone from the depths of her bag, she blinked incomprehensibly at the screen and almost lost the ice bag to the floor.

>> **(+317) 2 1o3 15S:** _ Hey Wiin this is Shi Sorry for the late message connection was down with the rain Are you still up to meeting for the festival? _

She placed the phone onto the table, walked to the other side of the room, grabbed a handful of cherry lilies, walked back to the table, cut two, gave up on the third as her hands betrayed her and she opened her phone again. The message was still there.

Six minutes later and a depressingly many use of the backspace button, Wiin managed to fumble out a reply.

<< **+317): 2 103 15S:** _ Hi Shi, yes I am. _

Following the instructions vague memories of doing the same with the Manager and Senior, she saved his number.

>> **Shi:** _ Okay the festival will be resuming two days from now at officially 7 am while the theater will open at 10 am Most plays will be first come first serve in terms of tickets and seats but most of them will have a two hour time limit to act out and so it will be predictable to know when to line up Did you get notification of your day off? Oh and do you have a preferable time? _

<< **Shi:** _ Yeah, I did. Anytime is fine. _

>> **Shi:** _ Ill see you at 2 pm at the Oracle's Theater it's in the Valterra Street in the Northern Quarter two days from now then. _

**\--**

The glaring shade of green and pink patterned walls of the theater made it all but impossible for her to blend in against it and she fidgeted self-consciously as another large group of people passed by, feeling like she was back at the Sky Islands or in an ice rink and her extended family was- she shoved that thought train off. On the upside, the rainclouds had finally came to a decision and dumped the sky, blessedly returning to Nova’s side. It also seemed that the sky had rebounded with sunshine and was already forming fluffy white cloud offsprings. Return of mildly warm weather however meant that she couldn't cover up without overheating in the protective layers. It was so  _ hot _ . To think there were actually places that were this permanently warm and  _ warmer _ on a daily basis. She felt a bit like suffocating.

Not to mention she was early. Thirty minutes early.

The patrol officer in charge of this area had raised already an eyebrow when they had passed by Wiin the fifth time and saw her alone in more or less the same spot. Wiin had tried to be as non-suspicious and I'm-really-not-doing-anything-illegal-I-swear as possible at the notice. She wasn't sure it worked.

Thankfully on the sixth time, a slightly out of breath Shi had arrived and thus stopped the had been approaching officer. She was mildly taken aback at his casual attire -- he normally wore a frayed uniform-like attire she was starting to suspect  _ was _ his actual secondary school uniform. He looked endearing in his t-shirt and jeans though. (It was a particularly cute onion-octopus logo he had chosen.)

"Sorry," Shi breathed out slowly and then back in. "There was complications at work- oh, I'm like an aide at Curndle Hospital, and, well, a patient's file went missing but one of the interns found it in another patient's room in the end though."

"It's-It's alright. You're, um, early."

Shi blinked, checked his watch which Wiin had now only noticed he wore under his usual-but-currently-missing long sleeved shirt and huffed out a breath. "By eight minutes." But then he tilted his head and eyed her. "How long have you been waiting?"

"A while," was all she said with a hapless smile.

She didn't say how because her mind was a rebellion against her quiet plea for sleep, she woke up at three in the morning, stayed in her bed for a full hour alternating between staring at her cacti and curling up into a ball of equally prickly senses before managing stumble out to swallow a tiny breakfast. That she had gotten ready for the outing once at eight because she actually finished her order forms, then again two hours later because she realised she was wearing her mom's dress which then had her than lying depressingly on her bed for a whole hundred and sixteen minutes of silent misery.

(The tumble of her old skating shoes from her closet as she rushed to slam that dress into the back of the mess of clothes only made her feel  _ worse. _ )

She left the apartment at twelve, tempted to hide out in Selsta but instead abused her phone map to find out the location of the theater which still took her another hour to find. At which point she only then realised she was way too early for.

There’s no need to talk about how she’s been feeling horrible for so long it's become hard to even remember what being happy was. No one deserves to hear Wiin complain and talk about her life, they’d have better things to do than  _ that _ .

But Shi seemed to have realised something was wrong and there's a frown tilting his lips. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah," she said around a sob that she’s desperate to stop and she's such a _ liar. _

Her eyes were tearing up but she saw Shi whose eyes were wide with a storm of concern, mouth parted and hands raised unsurely to reach for her but hesitant to make contact. The tears started leaking at the display and try as she might to wipe them away, they just kept pouring out.

How long had it been since someone  _ cared _ ?

"Oh no, oh no, you doing okay here missy? Is this person bothering you dear?" A new voice asked.

Wiin rubbed a few times at her eyes before managing to see that it was the patrol officer from before.

"N-No," crying and talking was never a good mix, "it's-it's o-o-okay of-offic-cer. I'm-I'm jus-just-" she wasn't able to continue as her throat closed up.

Shi spoke up then and took a step forward. "Hey, hey, Wiin breathe in and out. Through the nose and out the mouth. Come on, I'll count with you, one, two..."

Slowly, carefully with each clear instruction from him, Wiin calmed down to only a few sniffles here and there. Somewhere along the lines of comfort she had tangled one of her hands with one of Shi's who only squeezed back. The officer produced a few tissues and Wiin gently wiped at her sore face.

"Are you alright now dear?"

She nodded, too drained to speak.

"Do you know what caused your reaction? Was it because of someone?"

"Bad-Bad d-day. N-No one. S-Sorry."

"It's quite alright dear. Are you sure it was because of no one? You've been in this spot for the last half hour-"

Shi who had been up to that point mindlessly tracing the litany of scars on her hand in a semi-foreign, semi-soothing action froze. "Half hour? What?" A look adorned his face. "I'm so sorry, Wiin."

" _ No _ ," she almost shouted but she choked up and ruined the effect. "It's-It's not yo-your fault Shi. It-It re-really is j-just been a-a bad d-day. Can-Can we j-just go wa-watch the-the p-play?"

They had a stare off but eventually Shi sighed and admitted defeat. "Okay, let's go." Turning to a mildly confused officer, he nodded politely. "Sorry for that, ma'am, but we should get our tickets before they sell out."

"Right," the woman said slowly before shaking her head. "Well as long as everything's alright now. Don't be afraid to contact any of the others on duty if you have any further problems though alright dears?"

"Yes ma'am," they chorused like school children and the officer moved off.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Shi asked as they headed inside.

Wiin took a deep breath in and in that time observed the inside of the building as she forced her calm.

The Oracle's Theater was a several story building that seemed to be overflowing with a people. It was worse than Selsta on a weekend, and jam-packed with chattering teenagers in sweaters, adults on the latest phones, and children hopping from coloured tile to coloured tile in a sequence only they knew. 'Circular' was the main theme from the overhanging spherical lights to the round booths where attendants stood to give out tickets and directions through semi-circle shaped holes. Cheerful blue with splashing yellow dots danced a maze of excitement as they played as the wallpaper to the building. Everything was well-kept and as tidy as a building that saw to a crowd of this size every two hours could be. A curious mix of lavender and eucalyptus swayed lazily around the room, probably a mistake on someone's part as most places liked to have only one scent thank you very much.

Wiin closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing in deeply as deeply as she could, the headache that usually formed after a good tear up softening its racket against her temple at the familiar smell of flower shops and apartment rooms with thin walls.

"I'll-I'll get better," she answered honestly and squeezed the hand linked with hers.


	8. Chapter 8

The further up they climbed, the further the crowd thinned. Finally, as they reached the highest floor, only a scattering of individuals lazed around the room. Her headache was almost gone by then. More an after sensation of something compressing her head than the blinding ring it could sometimes be.

"The less popular plays are held up here -- usually because these ones are boring or just plain stupid and treated more as training for students to get used to being on stage," Shi explained as they went from booth to booth to see what was on. Most did seem uninteresting and cliched.

Stopping at one, Wiin tilted her head and pointed at the a poster for Shi to look at. “How about this one?”

"Neon's Angel by Genis?" he furrowed his eyebrows but shrugged. "I haven't heard of it, maybe it's new. The newer plays are held up here too unless they're really popular or personally selected by the owner. What made you pick this?"

"My mo-mother had liked the Director," she answered quietly, her throat dry.

Staying silent after that, they got their free tickets and entered through the thick door.

As they sat in the correct seats, she thought of his words and of the abundance of information he had as well as the obvious familiarity he held towards the building. The lights weren't dimmed yet so they could converse quietly. "Do you like plays?"

He nodded, relaxed like the occasional times Wiin had seen him reading on his eReader instead of maniacally typing away on his laptop with an almost depressed disposition in his posture. "They're interesting and a relaxing experience especially when I'm school stressed. What about you?"

"I don't usually get the chance to watch them." Not since she started spending more time in hospitals than her own home (and rarely was that the house she had grown up in and not the chill of skating rink or the seclusion of a brittle garden). “But my family has been pretty involved with the field for a while.”

He hummed and nodded at her answer. They lapsed into the acquainted silence that made up 80 percent of their interactions. Wiin spent the next few minutes foolishly chasing after faint memories lingering in her mind; ghosts of smiles, of love, of family. They slipped away every time she tried holding onto them.

The play started soon and it was quiet. The swooning of badly recorded orchestral music played on stereos, and Wiin belatedly realised why her mother had probably liked Genis's works if this one was any indication of the rest. They're musicals. With semi-religious allusion chucked around every second line usually accompanied by a psychologically disturbing scene that revelled in messing with the audience. Oh, and of course it was a melodrama.

All in all, Wiin thought it was enjoyable--particularly the mind twisting scene of the main character, Neon, killing his boyfriend, an Earthian Angel (a divine figure of some sort), that signaled the finale. The emotion, the sudden quietness and even the acting that had been subpar until that one last moment were all finely blended together to create a beautiful nightmare that resounded with her very soul.

The lights flickered on and she was one of the few that was not too mentally disturbed by the last act that managed a few claps.

Sniffling on her side caught her attention and she turned to see Shi wiping away at his eyes. When he noticed her staring, he shrugged as jump-tomato red smothered his paler than even pale skin. Wiin was utterly fascinated by this new behaviour and felt the temptation to run her fingertips against the colour of his cheeks as if by doing so she could smear it physically.

"I get emotionally invested when I watch things,” he said almost defensively but mostly in embarrassment if the still dominating bright flush was to go by. “It's- It's funny since people call me the Winter Child but then they suddenly see me acting this way after a night out to the cinemas or something alike."

She tilted her head and puzzled at the information, "But I think Shi is, uh, expressive enough."

He looked genuinely befuddled at her words and his expression lapsed into confusion as if to prove her point. "Oh," he whispered like he couldn't believe her, "really?"

"Yes _ , _ " she answered as seriously as she could. Still, Shi looked like he was completely lost and an almost childlike apprehension clouded his features. Wiin tried to smile and made sure that her words carried the sincerest explanation. "You're expressive with your emotions, just-just a bit subtler.” She didn't know why these next words slipped out but something about the way he had said ‘Winter Child’ with an  _ unbearably _ flat, resigned tone compelled her, “You’re human t-too, Shi."

He fell silent after that. But if there was something Wiin had, it was patience.

(Patience and foolish hope was after all the only thing that had kept her believing for five years for things to get better before enough had been enough.)

It wasn't until rest of the play-watchers had left before he opened his mouth.

“I know people -- friends and others -- that I’ve known for ye-years but still have to ask me what I’m feeling,” he said with a sadness she felt churn through her _bones_. “Yet here you are after about two and a half months in my company and telling me how I’m just as expressive as any other and you're truthful..."

He pushed his bangs out of his eyes and, as Wiin watched with blown wide eyes, he coaxed out a laugh -- an actual laugh -- from his throat that's both too quiet and much too short but took her breath away all the same.

Blink, blink, cheeks flamed and muscles stretching her mouth into glass smile that felt just the tiniest bit less fragile. "You have dimples."

**\--**

The both of them reluctantly left the top floor once they realised they were starving and had no excuse to stay as no other plays had caught their interest even as they circled around. Back into the swarm of people they went. Clinging desperately to Shi's sleeve in case they separated, Wiin was relieved to find that Shi made a great defense against the buzz around them as he all but carved a pathway towards the exit. Turning her head one last time to look at the theater before they exited, Wiin caught sight of autumn leave eyes on a worryingly familiar face. But she didn't have time to match names as the door closed and Shi started talking.

"Where would you like to eat?" He asked loudly which, considering the sheer amount of noise around them, came out just barely above average.

Grimacing, she raised her voice as well, "Anywhere-e,” her voice cracked a bit, “you’d like."

"You haven't really explored the area huh?" She nodded, glad he could tell. "Well do you have a preference?"

Wiin thought about it and came to the conclusion that besides sweets, she really didn't know anything about food outside of whatever diet she had been instructed to follow. Once upon a time, that hadn't been the case and she thought maybe she had liked a soup or something but after…  _ everything _ those memories were always hard to remember. "Not really?"

"You wouldn't mind something light then?”

“No, that’d be nice.”

Shi brought them out of the main street and through quieter but only mildly less crowded alleyways smaller than the ones passing between their apartments. The smells of various kinds of pastries, artificial fragrances and light meals being cooked danced together to perform a homey feeling that settled her heart not quite like Selsta but close.

Wiin let out a gentle breath and relaxed. He huffed and guided her to the a small bakery which she delighted in finding also made Snow Scones. The sweet brought a softness to the memories she held of the usually the harsh South and she had honestly never thought anything from that place could ever bring warmth to her. She relaxed with a content smile into the wooden bench outside. Shi sat next to her with cream puffs in his hands and dimples in his cheeks.


	9. Chapter 9

The rest of the festival went by exploring the smaller streets as only a few other people meandered around them. The loud music from the main parade was only mild background noise now as they went from shop to shop and avoided the cafés. Anything but Selsta would only leave disappointment.

Cotton candy was bought from a stand, and their two scoops of chocolate fudge and choc-chip ice cream was from a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop which they traded back and forth.

Wiin bought them two sandwiches, plain cheese for her and a chicken-boar cabbage for him, when she realised they really couldn’t just depend on the sugar filling them up. They didn't buy anything else after that but continued browsing. Sometimes ducking into some stores to explore trinkets, but none of which they bought.

"Are you going to watch the fireworks later on?” Shi asked.

She shook her head immediately. Explosives and her? No way.

Realisation crossed his face. “Right, loud noises, of course.”

She hummed in agreement.

“Will you be alright?”

She shrugged but nodded. “Perhaps. Sky Islands didn't have fireworks so...”

“Sky Islands,” he mouthed quietly to himself, she caught him but decided to ignore it. “Too cold?”

And the chance of setting off an avalanche. “Y-Yes.”

They went to browse through an older-then-the-dirt-smothering-everything eReader shop when the golden sign board in front was too interesting for Wiin to pass up. Inside it was looked after by a surprisingly young red-head (the person looked barely older than them). Shi, for some reason, turned out to have instantly disliked the other and the feeling revealed itself mutual when their mild conversation gradually heated up into a verbal war of icey ferocity and explosive precision. They reminded her of two alpha snowy cats. It was almost cute because they weren't really acting on anything more than childish dislike.

Shi left with literal smirk on his face as the shop tender released a slew of curses. Wiin hurriedly took the reading chips he had looked through while simultaneously riling up the red-head. One popular romantic thriller novel and ‘ _ a small history of medical stupidities _ ’ was added to her pile of ‘ _ Oral Fable Stories in Written Form _ ’, ‘ _ A visit of flowers _ ’ and an epic about friendships and adventures. These she gently placed on the counter.

“Your friend's an ass,” the red-head,  _ Daeta || He, Him _ his name tag read, muttered as he rang up the prices.

Wiin shifted on her feet. “You guys probably had, had like a past life as mortal enemies or something.”

“Ugh, I wouldn't be fucking surprised.” Daeta flung his arms up in a dramatic gesture. “Goddess, that dipshit looked like he should be punched.”

She ignored the insults easily (he had said them with a lackluster grumble that, more than anything, told her that he wasn't trying, not really) but latched onto another part. “Are you a follower?”

She perked up in honest curiosity. Most people nowadays weren't as religious as the older times when religion had been a power of manipulation of the greater masses. Even if they still accepted the name of their Deities, not many people went out of their way to practice their Faith beyond large ceremonies and festivals like the current Fire Stone Festival. Wiin had spent years praying and having her God the only salvation she could find as her life collapsed in on itself. It was illogical, of course, she understood but it was better to think at least  _ something _ might be looking after her when clearly no one else was.

Daeta was visibly surprised and blinked at her in astonishment. “Yeah, I am. Follower of Goddess Valfiore. How about you?”

“My Faith to God Fwelix,” she said slowly, glad those years of practicing allowed her to pronounce it without having a shaky undertone. “But I-I also took the, um, pledge to Valfiore.”

“Are you a florist then? I can't think of any other job that would take her name,” he said casually but she had seen his quick glance down at her chips, at the flower one. His mind worked much faster than hers, that was for sure.

“Yes actually.”

“Where at? I know some places for my prayers but TreeHouse is a big city being as old as it is.”

“Um, Flowey Sunshine in the, uh, Western Quarter, near-near Makat Street.”

Daeta thought for a bit before he snapped his fingers, “ _ Ah _ , the one ran by the former boxing champ right? I know her, kinda, she's a strong lady.”

“Nice as well,” she added. Former Two Time World Boxing Champions sure were famous.

He shrugged. “Pff, I wouldn't really know about that.” At her look, he grinned and leaned forward against the counter, saying, “The last time we met, I  _ maybe _ accidentally provoked her into a fight which might have  _ maybe _ banned us from this coffee place called Selsta for  _ maybe _ a whole month. And also  _ maybe  _ broke my hand and gotten a few dozen bruises after that.”

“You were b-b- _ banned _ from Selsta?” She asked incredulously, she never could have even fathomed the thought that Selsta with their mysterious noises and shredded uniforms could actually  _ ban  _ people. She blinked. “Oh, you go to Selsta?”

“Yep.” He grinned. “Selsta’s the only place where they manage to serve alcohol the way I like it, ‘course that doesn’t mean I don’t have my own supply.” Noticing her confusion, he raised an eyebrow. “Have you never been on the upstairs?”

She shook her head (she has long accepted that carrying hot beverages up any form of staircases was a horrible idea). “No?”

“Well, Selsta actually has a bar up there but it only serves after 3 pm and well they don't really advertise it. It's surprisingly high class shit and stocked with decent alcohol which is really bloody hard to find in this city.” He leaned forward and rested his arm on the counter. “Do you like drinking?”

“Only if it's Ina Tranquils,” she answered because Post-Parties were  _ amazing _ and she was a born and raised Sky Islander.

Daeta whistled. “That’s pretty strong…” He paused, “uh, I never got your name?”

She blinked and bit her lip before deciding  _ why not? _ She's no longer in the past. “I'm Wiin.”

“Warpearl Daeta, or Daeta Warpearl as it is here,” he said with a grin that highlighted the tattoo on his cheek and a hand held out to her.

After a second of hesitation, she took it. They shook once, twice and let go. It's enough time for her to feel the callouses on his hands and the gentleness in which he held hers. He was so warm. “It’s nice to meet you, Daeta.”

“Likewise,” he winked and handed her the reading chips in a bag.

On cue, Shi called to her from outside. “Wiin? You done in there?”

“Oh, ah, yes!” she answered, quickly exiting the bookshop where Shi’s silhouette could be seen through the window but not without a little wave at Daeta who returned it with a grin.

“What did you get?” Shi asked curiously as they started walking.

She rummaged through the chips and took out two. “Yours,” she said, pushing them into his hands.

He stared at them for a moment before placing them in his backpack. The next moment Wiin knew, Shi had handed her a pair of fluffy ear mufflers coloured in a blue-ish purple Wiin once mentioned she liked.

“It’s an exchange,” he said, taking the rest of her books to connect to his phone and flip through.

It's the only reason why she accepted.

**\--**

_ It's  _ _~~Warpearl Daeta~~ _ _ Daeta Warpearl, let's be friends Wiin :) 037-2014DaWrpL _


	10. Chapter 10

Shi’s laptop broke two weeks after the Fire Stone Festival. Wiin was the only witness to the spectacular destruction of said laptop and refused to tell Daeta the story no matter how much the guy begged. The experience had been, frankly, ridiculous and she was sure if she kept puzzling the event, it would drive her nutters.

A search into her bag as she tried to find another sharpener had her discovering the ‘50% Off Voucher at Mix and Fix’ a blonde girl had pushed into her hand what felt like a lifetime ago but was really only three months. Shi had been surprised when she handed it to him but had accepted after a moment of hesitation. His holidays were finishing up and school would be resuming and she knew he desperately needed his laptop. They made plans to meet up next weekend to fix it up but also for him to finally show Wiin some of the popular or interesting parts of the Northern Quarter. Apparently, Shi had wanted to do that since the festival when she mentioned not having explored anywhere beyond a few blocks from her apartment, the public transport system and her work place. He hadn’t had the excuse until now though.

But that was a few days away yet. Currently, she was engaged in an almost heated (or as heated as a pushover like Wiin could produce) discussion with a certain red-head who was almost frighteningly quickly becoming to feel like a friend over how to properly drink Welx, a light bubbly champagne popular with most males. He was adamant that it should be a with a tuli glass while she was staunchly on the defense of flutes.

“Seeing, I mean, seeing as I grew up practically raised drinking Welx, you would, um, think that my opinion would matter more,” she said, semi-admitting that she underaged drinked. The thing with Daeta was that there really was no point hiding her less lawful acts of conducts during her time in the southern nation because the guy did it as well and probably much _worse_ , he _was_ from the North after all. Besides, she had eventually recognised two encounters and a thousand texts exchanges in some of the trademarks of someone relating to _that_ side of the law. The tattoo was really the giveaway though.

“Please,” he rolled his eyes, “I grew up drinking Terrain Wines and didn't even know the difference between Nullius and Incog brands until four years ago.”

She stared at him. “What.”

He shrugged nonchalantly but Wiin saw an unmistakable ruby red crawling across his cheeks. “My siblings are assholes who conspired to make me an idiot.”

 _Ah, less murderously inclined family_ , she thought and nodded empathetically for him. “My mother was obsessed with melodramas and had once signed me up for drama classes.”

“Before or after the psychological break down?” he asked and she held back the passive urge to flinch back.

Despite his obnoxious personality, Daeta proved to be frighteningly insightful and had been able to deduce that her demeanour had been a result of some form of traumatic back story. It was a mutual silence on both their parts.

“During.”

Daeta ordered her another glass of Welx in a tuli glass.

She quickly motioned for the bartender to pour a glass of Nullius in retaliation.

They smiled at each other.

“Hoh, Daeta, is this where you've been?” A lilting voice that was utterly charming asked.

Wiin turned around. Velvet black hair and a face that displayed nothing but painted pleasantry. The person’s smile stretched just convincing enough that Wiin was almost fooled if she hadn't been surrounded by liars for her life’s years of misery. They were visually aesthetic in the way Wiin knew her younger self would have fluttered ratta-tap-tap at the sight of but their eyes, shadowed by gorgeously long eyelashes, reflected a blankness duller than eyeless mannequins.

Wiin felt the need to back away but even more so the need to lean forward and hold onto this person. She did neither and stayed neutrally still.

“Shut up Ravel.” Daeta muttered. A subtle undertone about his demeanor changed, and all at once a barely there wariness shifted underneath him even as he relaxed with real trust. He glanced at her. “Wiin this is Drakganor Ravel- ugh, I mean Ravel Drakganor. Damnit, I should’ve gotten used to that by now.”

“Well it’s not that strange considering it’s you.” Ravel quipped although there’s no real humour under it.

Daeta ignored the comment. “She’s a little creepy. It’s like her default setting or something so don't mind it.”

“I’m Wiin Tem-Temporar, she, her,” her last name rolled off her tongue a bit stiffly. Custom in the Sky Islands (which always had a tiny population) dictated that you didn’t really need to introduce yourself beyond a first name. Not to mention this family name was still unfamiliar.

Ravel and even Daeta stared at her the moment she did though. It was reaction that had been normal when her name had held a legacy far older and powerful but wasn't that exactly the reason why she changed her name? She clawed down the anxiety that bubbled immediately.

“Temporar?” Daeta asked and even he sounded more familiar with it than her although the way he pronounced the syllables made something in her shake with an anxiety she _refused_ to show. “And seeing as you’re a follower of God Fwelix, you’re also from the South, right? Probably somewhere in Finnel?”

She nodded before she even caught up with why he was asking. Oh Luck, oh Fortune, please tell her this wasn't what she was suspecting. “Why-Why?”

Ravel opened her mouth but before she could say anything, Daeta pulled her down next to him and away from Wiin.

“No reason,” he said, nonchalantly and not as smoothly transitioned the conversation away. “Anyways this is _super_ important; Ravel’s my future bestie-in-law if she could just hurry the fuck up and propose and I need you to help me convince her to just do it already. Seriously, they've been together for _years_ and they both already _said_ they're ready.”

She knew the action was for someone else's sake and maybe even a little for her but the reason behind it evaded her. The prickly sensation on the back of her neck dispelled her from asking. Sometimes, she just has to let things go and she does, allowing Daeta to steer the conversation to something light that soothed away the fear of something too familiar and yet something that should have since passed.

This had something to do with your family, her mind whispered almost tauntingly before she shoved the thought away.

**\--**

She ended up with a nightmare that had her waking up with a dead person’s name choking her.

“Mother,” she gasped even though she wanted to scream as the tears seared their way down. The cold sweat on the back of her neck a complete contrast to heat she felt.

There’s almost a roar in her mind as a shock of memories consume her, memories that were worse than the constant taunts, worse than the ones that led up to her hospitalisations, memories she had been sure were locked up and **_gone_** \-- _an older man and her mom; a warm voice calling her a name that was no longer hers;_ _“so you must be wiin empor”;_

Every part of her was straining against itself, tearing apart her whole world and sight and mind as fear lit up her entire self. The cold _fear_ **_cold_ ** in her body burned every part of her with a gentle mercilessness as every breath spread the frostbite until she couldn’t breathe. _She couldn’t breathe._ Her God had finally abandoned her. Taken the wind from her lungs, left her to wait for Valfiore’s daughter to take her to the Spirits.

_tiny hands that grasped hers as they glided on blades; warmth as she snuggled under the covers of foreign blanket with another;_

She found a bag after a blind rummage through her kitchen cupboards.

_the shock and inability to comprehend the news; howhowhow;_

Then it’s simply instinct that takes over as she pushed it to her mouth and breathed in and out. In and out. Too quickly at first like she wanted to suck in the whole world and destroy it as if that'd put her out of her misery but eventually she’s going slower and slower until it’s almost, sort of normal. There's something still clogged in her throat though and her heart refuses to stop racing away in her chest. But, one step at a time.

_a cold funeral where she stared at the empty coffin and couldn’t look away;_

She’s also still crying, she realised with a sort of numbness that greatly contrasted the raging panic that just happened. She figured trying to get a tissue would be a bit difficult considering that walking in her current state was much more likely to result in her falling over and possibly killing herself somehow.

_two freshly marked graves and the tears of woman who couldn't even say goodbye to their patches of grass because she was confined to the bed for years until she too was just a corpse_

_another medal and her tears of sadness as she screamed please_ **_look at me_ **

Then something in her _shattered_.

“Wiin?” Shi’s voice asked through the phone and she gasped back into reality, panicking even more about when in the name of her God did she manage to get her phone and actually call someone.

“S-S-Sorry, I-I-I’m sorry, so-sorry,” she kept saying over and over again, not being able to stop even though she knows she's making no sense and a bigger fool out of herself.

“ _Wiin_ ,” he said over the bloodrush of a thousand anxieties howling in her ears, “calm down, please. I don't know why you're apologising but it's okay. It's okay, Wiin. Everything is fine right now. You're not back in the South. You're not in the Sky Islands. You're in TreeHouse City, the Republic. You're a florist at Flowey Sunshine. You're a regular at Selsta. You order hot chocolate with hazelnut. The workers know you as Wiin Flower. You're my friend.”

On and on he kept saying grounding facts until the haze faded and there's only exhaustion left in her bones as she listened. His voice sounded strange over the phone, a bit fuzzy, and a bit higher than his normal pitch but it's comforting all the same. Partly, because there was something distinctively _safe_ about talking on the phone with someone rather than in person. Mostly, because it was Shi.

‘I'm sorry,’ she wanted to say. “Thank you,” she said instead as she tried to wipe away the tears smeared across her face.

“Anytime,” he replied and Wiin felt like she could believe him.


	11. Chapter 11

Shi was waiting outside the door to her apartment. At 5 o’clock the next morning, she tumbled out and he moved instinctively to catch her but didn't exactly make contact until she collided into him.

“Hi Wiin,” he smiled slowly, steadying her. She felt compelled to smile back and did even though she personally thought it was way too early to have any such positive feelings.

“Shi...?” Wiin asked, not quite able to make her mouth form a full sentence and hoping that her face would be able to convey her meaning.

Apparently, he did and he immediately donned a concerned visage. “Are you okay?”

Considering it was a truly heathenous hour of the day to be awake much less fully functional, Wiin was a bit too blunt and her answer slipped out before she could think better, “No, I'm not.”

Shi bit his lip before asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Wiin doesn't say anything immediately but it's shorter silence than what it would’ve been had this been four months ago. “Maybe later.”

She meant it this time as well.

“Okay,” he said. “What time do you have to get to work?”

“Six.”

He scrunched his nose. “Even so it's an awful hour of the day so let's get a cup of something warm; one of those organic places should be open even if Selsta isn't.”

Wiin nodded and smiled back when he did.

**\--**

The first warm beverage selling place they found was only a few blocks down from their apartments.

_ Buy anything and get free hot choco _ , had been sticky-taped to the front of the shop.

Inside, they discovered that it was actually a… well, ‘hybrid’ shop that sort of sold green computer parts, sort of sold pretty crystal things, but mostly seemed to have a lot of reprinted religious scriptures or strangely neat blue books (paper books! how retro) popping up here and there. The hot chocolate part came from a bizarrely pink painted coffee machine. A note said it could only make hot chocolate with a kindly reminder underneath to  _ please  _ don't get a drink before buying something.

Wiin had hesitantly picked two blue books(!) haphazardly thrown into the history section and quickly payed for them before she could start second guessing herself. (The clerk had looked like they had swallowed something quite unfortunate when the moment they saw the blue covers. Wiin remained firmly oblivious.) She only opened one of the books after Shi went off to get their drinks and immediately got sucked into the words.

“Wiin?”

“Hu-” her head snapped up and she blinked. Shi looked at her with a mildly raised eyebrow.

“I've been calling for you,” he said with amusement.

“O-Oh, sorry.” She blushed.

“Anything interesting?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink as he handed hers over.

Wiin took it and winced as the hot surface touched her hand. “Ow.”

Shi quickly took it back and Wiin puffed little breaths onto the tender flesh. The cool morning air that rushed to greet them as they stepped outside definitely helped. “Ah, uh, just old talk a-about Ear-Earthians.”

“Huh,” he tilted his head in a horribly adorable motion. Wiin blinked at her own thoughts. It was really  _ way  _ too early. “That's a subject I haven't heard since secondary school.”

She hummed in agreement. “Ancient History class.”

“I remember hating history,” he said, eyes alight in gentle humour. “Back then I was a lot more, hmm, you would call ‘nerdy’? I liked maths and science subjects a lot more. It's a wonder how I don't have glasses.”

She laughed quietly. “We had agriculture as-as weird as that, um, seems. It was the only subject I was, was particularly spectacular in.”

“You are Wiin Flower after all.”

She smiled. “Yeah.” And then the smile turned a little mischievous and she couldn't hold back. “And-And you're our Su-Shi.”

He rolled his eyes and tossed a betrayed look at her. “That's just uncalled for, Wiin Flower.”

“I'm so sorry Su-Shi.”

“Stop. Please.”

She laughed. “Okay.”

It was a nice day for work.

And it's too bad that didn't continue for long.

\--

Three blissfully calm days later and Wiin was just getting off from Flowey Sunshine at 3 o’clock. Bidding quiet goodbyes to a dancing Manager and the apparently hidden opera singer, Senior, she hopped onto the needlessly complicated public transport system to get to Valterra Street. She was sure the window felt a bit violated by how many times she had repeatedly slammed against it as the masses of students and adults and adult-students clambered aboard the human sandwich box. She hoped it wouldn't hold it against her.

At 4:30 pm, she struggled off and Daeta Warpearl in all his suppressed glory greeted her with a smirk too malicious for the instinctive way he shielded her from the overwhelming masses. “What's up Wiin.”

“Weren’t we meeting up at your shop?” she asked.

He smiled very sweetly although the expression came off stiff and Wiin was apprehensive.

“Change of plans,” he said and reached out to take her hand, slow enough that she could have backed away from the action if she wanted to. She didn't and his fingers curled around hers in a lax grip that kept them together. “I want to go somewhere.”

“Where?” she insisted.

“Somewhere,” Daeta repeated with a light-hearted grin but catching her gaze in a serious stare. “You'll be safe, I promise.”

She let out a short almost sigh at his assurances. Daeta was selfishly nice when he wanted to be. “Okay th-then.”

Clearly aware of how unnecessarily dramatic that exchange was, Daeta smiled ruefully and pulled her along until she stood side to side with him instead of being tugged along as he lead. Shoulders brushed, hands still barely curled between each other's, a pair in the many that walked the streets of an ancient city that predates their written history. The music of a living city curved their every step, a pattering of exhilarating notes and crescendos as they walked. Wiin felt inexplicably overwhelmed in that moment, could feel it with dreaded experience that something massive was going to happen.

Somewhere between one building and the next, Ravel slipped seamlessly next to Daeta, her lovingly fixed smile directed at Wiin in greeting when she finally noticed the woman.

It wasn't long after when Daeta muttered, “Up here,” and directed them to a narrow entrance squished between a dinner and a convenience store. Wiin wasn't necessarily sure what she had been expecting when Daeta opened the door but a thin, rickety stairway carpeted in a distasteful colour of puke wasn't quite it. As they moved up, every step led to protests against them as the stairs complained loudly with screeches of wooden cries. Worst of all, the handrails were nonexistent. Daeta doesn't speak up at how she clutches at the back of his shirt as they ascended, her fear that the stairs will trip her over was  _ credible _ . She was not being irrational at all.

They go up three stories, passing by numbers of mouldy doors that were very firmly shut. Wiin noted that all of them had extra steel barred doors chained with locks to emphasise the message of  _ Do Not Enter _ without signs being stapled to the bars. She had the feeling that they weren't for residential uses.

Daeta stopped at one of the doors, it too was closed off but he pulled out a key from one of his pockets.

Wiin hadn't really managed to grasp what was really happening as he opened the door. But she bit her lip shut, firmly believed in Daeta, and stepped in after him.

The room through the threshold was clean but still fitting in with the exterior they had just escaped, basically a bit mouldy and old. Ravel crossed into the room behind her. They didn't lock the door.

Someone was already inside.

Her attention skittered around the person. Not daring to look in case but aware that they were there.  She felt eyes on her all the same. Daeta sat down on a cushy couch placed in the middle of the mostly bare room while Ravel remained beside Wiin.

The two looked like they were waiting. Wiin doesn't know for what.

“You are Wiin Temporar?” The stranger asked, almost hesitantly but maybe they sounded like that normally.

She swallowed and turned to look not quite directly at the person. “Um, yes?”

“Oh,” they said. “I'm-” They paused and then opened their mouth again, “Actually, well, were you ever a part of the,” they dropped their voice to a whisper like a prayer, “Empor family?”

She took a step back, instincts cursing her to  _ run run oh Gods Wiin  _ **_run_ ** because her family's involvement was always something to be  _ feared _ . Any future where they had  _ any _ role to play was never supposed to happen. Not again. Mom had  _ promised _ .

Daeta stood up but she cowered from his gaze. Ravel smoothly stepped aside from the exit and Wiin had never felt more grateful.

“No, no wait, I'm not- I'm  _ not _ ,” they said and it's the desperation in their words that stopped her from turning around and running.

“Who-” she choked and it felt like very air itself was squeezing her throat, “Who are you?”

She was petrified of the answer. And it was worse than she feared.

“It's me, Wiin,” the stranger said, and Wiin stared into eyes she hadn't seen in five years but recognised instantly. “Trut.”

Blissful months after she thought she had freedom, of course her world ended. Again.


	12. Chapter 12

Daeta scooped her up into his arms the minute her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor. Ravel hovered next to them.

“Fuck,” he said under his breath, the word somehow managing to register in her mind despite how the world was rapidly becoming a reality of claws trying to strangle her judgement.

He felt frighteningly warm against her freezing skin and it's a terrifying heat she doesn't know how to handle. Even so, there was a strange urge to tug him back to her as the blaze of his warmth leaked away after he tucked her onto the couch.

(Her mom had always felt too warm.)

She was  _ scared _ . She was so  _ so _ scared. There's a fear corrupted like poison consuming her body and it felt like she was dying and collapsing and the torrent of adolescent nightmares brimmed with terror-filled memories only fueled that bitter poison. She shivered and shook, a nauseating cold filling wounds the damning fear had gashed open.

She blindly reached out with a trembling hand and Daeta held it between his.

A lifetime passed like this.

And, as that lifetime ended, she slowly managed to swallow down the aggression of adrenaline and anxiety to a simmer of tentatively manageable levels with a stumbling ease.

She looked up at him with a sharp plead expressed through her contorted expression and, amazingly, Daeta understood and sat down next to her. A maze of green eyes so tightly controlled it was a wonder how Wiin had ever thought she could understand him simply looked at back her, but Daeta’s lips were a careful neutral line and he was so  _ infinitely _ gentle in his silence that she knew that this was his  _ sincerity _ . So she relaxed into the couch and breathed.

She wiped away the tears she hadn't even realised had spawned and forced herself to look up. Ravel had disappeared by then and Wiin hoped it wasn't out of disgust of her break down while the stranger (- _ her Trut -her dead  _ **_dead_ ** _ sweet Trut _ ) stood ramrod straight looking like they hadn't moved at all.

She extended out her other hand for them, stifling the shivering urges that begged her to just curl up and die already.

It took a moment or two or three but they took her hand. Delicately at first before clamping down in tight desperation as they kneeled on the floor and pressed the connected contact to their cheek. 

“Hello, once again,” she breathed out and the claws that had gouged out the world settled back into her new reality. They expelled a ragged breath and Wiin could feel the prickle of liquids gathering again.

“May I hug you?” they asked, a hiccup in their voice.

Wiin couldn't speak, heightened emotions tumbling about in clashing of sadness and bittersweet happiness. Daeta let her go and she placed that hand on the back of their neck, the move reminiscent of a woman she loved, and brought them closer.

They buried their face into her shoulder and the move was so alike to that of her memories that she couldn't help but start crying in that instant. Their whole body shook as an arm moved to wrap around her side and she felt  _ their _ tears leak through her thin clothing. She gently squeezed at the nape of their neck in a gesture of comfort she couldn't believe she actually remembered.

“Hello cousin,” she choked into their sunlight hair, her native tongue heavy in her mouth.

“Hello Wiin.”

And they're five and seven, and nineteen and twenty-one, and every bittersweet heartbreak in between.

**\--**

Trut doesn't entangle themself out of her hold for more than an hour later. Not that Wiin was particularly fond of the thought of letting go anytime soon.

At the thirty minute mark though, Daeta had stood up and ruffled a hand against her head. She looked up and he smiled down, running his hand lower to wipe away at the dried tears under her eyes.

‘I'll be back,’ he mouthed.

“Thank you,” she said back.

He similarly patted Trut on the head and left the room, and the closed door allowed them to themselves for this breathtaking, impossible moment.

Their silence was a reassurance of life. The brief hitches in Trut’s steady breathing and the way her breath shuddered out of her in a post-cry wheeze gave them the chance to indulge in a unspoken peace the likes of which Wiin hadn't felt since, well, Trut was dead or fake-dead.

The thought brought a quiet break in her silence. “How?” she asked. How are you alive? How is this possible? How was she suppose to just accept this miracle and move on?

“I'm sorry,” they answered and tears started dropping again. “I can't. Not all of it.”

Wiin brushed at their hair in comfort. Still a crybaby, she thought hypocritically. “It's okay. I love you and you're back and that's all that matters.”

The words are mouthed back into her shoulder. She felt it like a gentle pen tracing the words into her skin.

“Our family was sloppy,” they explained quietly after a moment, the coarse sounds of the Fwein language enchanting in their voice. She desperately missed this.

“Which one? If you can answer,” she asked, morbidly curious.

“You know our other cousin? That lady who's a decade older than us, in the sixth?”

“Dres Empor,” Wiin said because it's easy to remember years of memorising people who can easily kill her and hers.

Trut laughed. It wasn't with happiness. “Yeah, that whack. She was-”

“Below us in branch.”

“Mhmm and, I guess, she figured because mine only had my father and I, we'd be the easiest target. She was right, of course.”

“I'm glad she died,” Wiin said and the vicious anger on behalf of years of separation and Trut that bubbled up was a surprise to both of them. “Besides, it wasn’t worth the effort, completely stupid move for no reason.”

“Oh?” Trut said, leaning up to look Wiin in the eyes. The same shade stared back at them. (“ _ The famed Empor eyes and our children are the ones to get them _ !”) “Thought of joining in with the family tradition, huh?”

She shrugged, noncommittally, almost guiltily but not quite. She  _ can't  _ feel that, not for this and the chance it would have given her even if she hadn't gone through with it. “Mom was practically disowned by then. I'd have to reach the top of my own branch before even attempting to move up the whole thing.”

“Doesn't answer the question, dear cousin.” Trut stared at her, not looking amused at all now.

She closed her eyes and couldn't raise her voice above a mournful whisper. “Mother got worse.”

Wiin exhaled. Trut sucked in a breath. “Oh, how is she?”

The innocent question exploded against her and on the inside she weeped for the time lost and the dead memories.

“She died,” she said simply because it was either that or despair and Wiin was too tired for another cry. “You didn't keep up?”

Trut barely looked composed and Wiin felt the rigidness that froze them as they comprehended her disgracefully simple answer.

“No-No,” they stuttered, “I figured my survival a new beginning from our batshit family, you know?” They shook with wide eyes and Wiin squeezed their hand in comfort. “What-What do you mean your mother died?”

“The sickness got worse after the funerals,” she explained softly. “She was in grief and it was just too much for her to go on. Eventually, it spread to her brain and everything just kept shutting down. We couldn't-” she took a deep breath, “-couldn't handle it anymore and cut her off life support.”

They leaned back from her, shoulders hunched tightly and face an expression of horror, and while she instantly craved the touch, she let them take the time to process the new info.

“What of Aunty?” Trut asked.

_ That  _ question made her shrink back. “She ran back to the family.”

They jolted up. “ _ What _ ?” they asked. “Wh- _ Why  _ would she do that all things?”

Wiin glanced away and fiddled with her jacket zipper with nervous, twitching hands. “I don't know,” she said quietly with a shrug.

She's pulled into a hug that was too encompassing and so so  _ right _ that despite the mild feeling of alienness, she melted right into it, wondering how she'd forgotten the sweet softness in such a simple action. “By the Gods,” they said with horrible realisation and she held her breath. “She left you.”

She closed her eyes.  _ Concentrate on breathing.  _ “Yeah.”

“She  _ left  _ you,” they said again, anger almost visible as Trut tightened their hold on her, silently pledging that they would never do that to her.

“Yeah,” she repeated with a whimper clogging her throat. “She did.”

“How dare sh-”

“She loved mother,” she cut in because this was still her  _ mom _ and Wiin  _ foolishly _ adored her. “She loved her, more than anyone, more than- more than  _ me _ . Of course-”

“ _ No _ ,” Trut said. “I love you, Wiin,” they said, fiercely, brightly with all the burning fire of their heart. “I  _ love _ you and I would have done  _ anything _ to be with you if I didn't know for sure that I'd been hunted down and killed. In no possible way could your  _ mom _ wouldn't have done that as well if she wasn't a  _ coward _ just like the fucking rest of them.”

Wiin pressed her forehead against their shoulder. “Of course she was a coward, Trut. She's an Empor.”

_ Just like me _ .

“You're not,” they said because they were twins born two years apart. “You're amazing. Wiin, you’re amazing.”

Wiin doesn't respond to that and only leaned further into the embrace, hoping that her desperate clutch was enough to communicate how much she loved them in this moment, in this lifetime and the next and next until Valfiore’s daughter, Eam, consumed Rave’s chosen son of light, Rah, and ended the cosmos. And, of course, Trut understood because they returned that desperation twofold.

**\--**

Ravel reappeared some time later.

“We have to go,” she said to Trut who hesitated in unwrapping their arms from Wiin who, in turn, tried not to hold too tightly onto their arm.

“Get going, Trut,” Daeta ordered as he walked into the room but his eyes reflected reassurances instead of force. “Don't worry,” he said seriously, “I'll look after Wiin.”

They hesitated still and turned back to look at Wiin. “I won't disappear,” they said, taking a hand to cup her cheek.

Wiin nodded, heart beating rat-ta-tat in her chest like heavy rain on a stubborn solar tile roof. “I'll see you again,” she said like a promise, taking their forearm and shaking it two times.

With a final look and a kiss to her cheek, Trut exited the room with Ravel.

She looked up when Daeta placed a hand on her shoulder. He smiled down at her but it looked strained.

“I'll drive you home. We have some things to discuss.”

She nodded and got up to follow.

Daeta’s modern auto was directly outside and Wiin honestly doesn't know how he even managed to park it in such a perfect spot. She gets in after he unlocks it and, despite having seen it a few times already, it was the first time she's actually been inside it.

“So what do you think of my ride?” He asked, sliding into his seat.

It's… an auto. Granted, it was a nice one but all the same,  _ an auto _ . “Nice.”

Daeta rolled his eyes at her deadpan expression. “It's a top of a line model. I bet you're actually a secret adrenaline junkie.”

“Did you really?”

“Yep. A fifty against Ravel.”

“Huh.”

“What, do you doubt my honesty?” He smirked.

“Yes,” she answered honestly and he slanted an eye at her, smirk still etched into his face like a shield.

“Smart of you.”

“I know,” she released a breath that was a bit more heavy than she intended. “I know you won't tell me everything.”

He doesn't counter her and instead goes on to ask, “Do you  _ want _ to know everything?” His eyes sparked electrifyingly in the evening light, the key to his maze offered with a lazy drawl and cold eyes. “Just say it and I'll tell you  _ everything  _ and _ anything _ , Wiin.”

She looked away. “No,” she said, “I don't. I'm fine with what we have.”

He glanced back at the road and the auto accelerated as he directed it to turn onto a mostly empty street. “If that's what you want.”

“I dont...”  _ want to have that life. _

“I understand.”

“But, I won't leave,” she said, looking at him through her peripherals and catching the slow smile just barely curling his lips but all the same a sweeter look on his face than the ear to ear grins he usually showed. “I can promise that.”

“I know.” They hit a school zone and he sighed as he turned to face her with a seriousness she could only suspect was as close to real she would ever see in him. “You’re my friend, I  _ like  _ you and that’s why I’m allowing this.” He gestured to himself, to his face where his tattoo marred like a brand. “ _ We’re _ involved, Trut, me and everyone even if it's actually borderline legal shit we're doing now. I respect your wishes of not wanting to be in the know and so that leaves us with having to find a safe compromise for us to live in or else  _ everyone  _ will be fucked.” He swallowed a breath. “You and Trut, I want you two to have a future together,  _ I do _ , but I want one where neither of you are dead.”

She nodded again. “I understand.”

He faced her, mouth pulled into the curve of a smile even as his eyebrows furrowed. “Right now, Trut doesn’t have an outer persona because of the whole being technically dead thing so being seen in public is like risky when your stabby stabby stab family would murder Trut if he’s seen alive- Eams mercy, why is this so convoluted.” Wiin laughed. He shot her a look. “You guys are fucking crazy.”

“It’s in the blood,” she said.

“Obviously,  _ Empor _ ,” he rolled his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow. “Okay,  _ Warpearl _ .”

“ _ Hey _ ,” he said. “My family doesn't kill  _ each other _ .”

She thought about this for a moment.

“Fair enough,” she shrugged.

Then he continued explaining, “Sidetrack aside, we figured we can set up a meeting place at different safe houses or we can have Trut go incognito but I want you to know that you guys won't be able to talk about a  _ lot _ of things and there will be a lot of omission of facts and details and sometimes, if Trut deems it, outright  _ lies _ to keep you separated.” He stared at her right in the eyes, “Is that okay with you?”

She looked at him with years worth of hardship and mourning, “Yes.”

“Okay then.” The school section cleared moved and he moved his attention back to the road.  And so quietly like he didn't intend for her to hear, he said, “I'm glad you guys found each other again.”

There's a story behind his sincerity but for now, she smiled softly. “Daeta?” He hummed. “Thank you.”

He scoffed and ruffled her hair.


	13. Interval

She's six and she's in the ice-rink, drifting by herself as her moms talked and giggled with each other over something, smiling brighter and brighter with each look they shared like they were mirrors bouncing happiness off each other. She doesn't mind being alone because she loved when her moms were happy and grinning like there weren't so many things that made them unhappy most of the time.

Besides she had been skating for  _ all her life _ , her moms could totally trust her. She knew not to try and do any of those really cool tricks (even though they were really cool) because mommy had said if she did, she might hurt herself and then that might mean no more skating  _ ever _ . She _ liked  _ skating, there was no way she will  _ ever _ let it go.

She circled around lazily, practiced spins and baby step sequences and watched as someone approached her mom, a really pretty person with the same hair colour mom had. She turned away when suddenly another kid pulled up beside her. They stumbled as they tried to stop but didn't fall. She felt the ‘are you alright?’ slip out before she could really think which was strange because her instructors had already managed to cull most of her impulses.

They looked at her with big blue eyes from behind bright hair that reminded her of her moms’ rings and Wiin instantly wanted to touch. So cute.

“Umm,” they said softly in a very cute voice and stuck out their hand, “I'm-I'm, uh, Trut Empor. Um, I don't really know what gender so, um, they and them. I, uh, my dad came here to meet with your moms. You're Wiin, right?”

“Oh, we're family?” Wiin perked up and giggled as she took their hand in a delicate shake. “Yes, I'm Wiin Empor, she and her. It's so nice to meet you.” She smiled at them with her best smile. The one both of her moms taught her to make when she met another Empor, the one her instructors had spent months stretching across her face until it was  _ perfect _ . The smile dimmed a bit as she noticed their reaction. “Oh no, are you okay? You're turning red.”

“N-No, I'm fine.”


	14. Chapter 13

Shi picked her up, knocking on the door to her apartment at exactly 5 o’clock. He had sent a text the day previous that he needed sympathy so she was sort of expecting the polite taps to her door after she strapped on her bag and ear mufflers.

“School starts in four days,” he said the moment he saw her, looking absolutely miserable.

After making sure to shut the door securely, she patted him sympathetically. “I’ll buy you hot chocolate today.”

“You are a  _ priestess _ .”

She giggled. “Maybe come with me to pray then.”

He tilted his head and curiosity swirled through his eyes. “Are you actually religious?”

“Mhmm,” she held onto the handrails as she moved down the stairs, “faith to my God Fwelix. How about you?”

“I’m not really,” he shrugged. “I don’t think my parents are particularly religious, as far as I know, we moved around too much for anything to stick.”

“Good morning Miss Wiin!” the receptionist called out cheerfully.

“Morning,” she said quietly in reply with a small smile.

“It’ll be really cold today, Miss Wiin, so I-” the girl stopped and stared to the side and Wiin followed her gaze to Shi who stood beside her. “Oh, umm,” the receptionist said, turning to look back at Wiin who puzzled at her shell-shocked expression. “This is, uh...?”

“Shi,” Wiin introduced. “My, um, best friend.” She darted a quick glance at Shi who only ducked his head and crinkled his eyes when he met her gaze. She took that as a sign of approval.

“Ah, is that so! That’s so sweet!” the receptionist exclaimed all pretty smiles again and giving Wiin mild whiplash from the mood change but feeling happy all the same.

“We better get going, your train will leave soon,” Shi said and Wiin nodded, waving good bye.

“It’ll be really cold today so please keep warm both of you!” the receptionist called out to them.

“Thank you.”

Outside the temperature really was cool, and the sky stretched down the streets with the deep dark grey-blue of predawn. Shi shivered and tightened the coat he wore a bit more snugly. Wiin hardly felt the chill but was nevertheless rubbing her hands together as her scars twinged with pain.

A pair of gloves were pushed into her hold and she startled enough to actually take them. They’re worn and running a few years old, the size of a larger person’s hands.

“Shi,” she said with disapproval.

He dodged her attempts to hand them back and a shimmer of mischief made his eyes sparkle like distant planets. “You can give them back later.”

“I can give them back now,” she said stubbornly and relaxed when he reached out to grab them only to be left feeling mildly betrayed when he only shoved one onto her hand. “ _ Shi _ .”

“But, I’m your  _ best friend _ ,” he said with a little grin that tried to be sly but couldn’t hide the shy delight and tiny wonder he held under it all.  _ Fwelix _ , that was just unfair.

With a tiny mulish frown (“ _oh no she’s inherited the Empor stubbornness_ ” “ _well it’s not all too bad if she did, you can go great with that drive_ ” “ _gods_ _your family pride_ ”) she slipped the other glove on.

“I resent this,” she lied.

“But you seem happier,” he told her and she couldn’t keep the frown on in the face of the gentle, morning-red sunrise that reflected in his eyes and the crescent that his smile made. He was honestly too sweet to be real.

“I am,” she said with her own smile and a seriousness she knew was out of place but she couldn't stop the pitter patter of complete gratefulness and  _ love  _ she held for the world, for Shi, for Trut, in this beautiful, precious moment of her life. And she's struck with, with this  _ inspiration _ to-

“I'm glad,” he said with the same seriousness.

Wiin could almost believe that the smile that bloomed on her face was something that belonged on there.

It doesn't mean she isn't against sneakily dropping the gloves back into Shi’s knapsack when he's distracted by the timetable on the station and trying to figure out a plan to get from the Hospital to Flowey and then to Mix and Fix. Gotta uphold her new Best Friend Duties.

\--

**> >Shi: ** _ Ill come pick you up at 11 okay? Youre getting off at this time today right? _

**_< <_ ** **Shi:** _ Yeah. Thank you. _

**_> >_ ** **Shi:** _ Have a good time at work then _

**_< <_ ** **Shi:** _ You too. _

**_> >_ ** **Shi:** _ Also dont think youve gotten off the glove issues _

**_> >Shi_ ** **:** _ I know you saw that text Dont ignore me _

\--

“You lucky  _ floff _ ,” the Manager said but with a smile instead of hate. “Is that your SO waiting over there?”

Wiin saw Shi blush (he could  _ not _ hide that bright red with his skin tone) and ducked her head. “Oh no, ma’am, that’s my friend, Shi.”

(She swore the red only darkened more.)

The Manager shot a look between the two and smiled like she didn’t believe Wiin. The only reason Wiin wasn't entirely uncomfortable was because because it was obviously made in jest. “Are you two going out then?”

“Yep, to Mix and Fix, and, and then around the Northern Quarter.”

The Manager’s phone rang before she could say anything more and she quickly disappeared after a shooting a playful wink.

Senior appeared and dropped her bag into her arms. “Make sure to stay warm and safe. Have fun,” he sung, waving lazily as Shi and her bid goodbye and walked out the doors.

“Oh right, when was the last time you checked your bank account?” Shi asked as they moved down the street to the bus stop.

She opened her mouth and the clicked it shut when she actually had to think about it. “Umm, four?” She scrunched up her nose, “Four months ago?”

“Before you moved here?” he asked, incredulous she knew because his voice went flat as the stoic gaze he gave her. She winced and his eyes melted into gentleness. “Which bank?”

“Terris,” she answered.

“Okay, me too,” he said and then nodded to the ATM near them, “so we might as well both check.”

He went first and made a little noise which had Wiin looking at him quizzically. “My parents just sent me a load of money which they  _ know _ I don't need,” he said with displeasure, and then pulled out his phone. “Just give me a moment while you check yours okay? I need to make a call.”

She had to literally dig through her bag to find the forgotten debit card she got who knows how long ago but was thankfully still actually useable. She politely tried not to listen in on Shi’s conversation but the pure petulant tone he used as he talked with them was simply adorable.

(Honestly, it was like that first dimple-cheeked smile broke the dam and now everything about the guy made Wiin feel soft and warm and the awful urge to go  _ aww _ . Too pure for this world.)

She placed the card in and struggled to remember what in Evas her pin was but somehow got it right with the date her mother last opened her eyes and desperately tried to purge that memory from her mind while opening up the ‘Check Savings Account’ section to be ‘Displayed Onscreen’. She choked.

**Available Income:**

_ $4102.89 _

“How in- How in the  _ world _ .” She said.

Shi looked up from where he was still complaining to his parents. “Wiin?”

“I have money, oh Luck, oh Gods,” she said, running a hand through her hair and then pointing for him to look.

“Wow, how much were you saving up?”

“Two hundred weekly.”

200 a week x four and a half months. Gods, how did she not  _ realise _ ?

“You can buy that sofa you wanted,” he said with the same excitement that was thudding her heart.

“Yeah,” she grinned, feeling like she'd burst with happiness.

_ My own money. That I made. Myself. _

“We are so buying you a coat first.”

She ejected the card and hesitantly started nodding. “Yeah,  _ yes _ .  _ But _ ,” she spun around and pointed, “only after we fix your laptop.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He looked happily bright eyed at her before turning his attention back to the phone. “Just take back half at least,” he said into it. “Wha- That was Wiin. Yeah, that Wiin. Yes, if you actually came back, of course. I’m  _ not _ dragging her all the way to Maracaita.” Wait, oh no that was embarrassing to think about. “What do you mean that's unreasonable? She has  _ work _ , and I have school.” He rolled his eyes. “Okay, bye. Yes, I love you too.”

Wiin laughed as he turned to face her with childish frown. “Will I meet your parents?” she asked.

They started walking again as he answered, “Yeah, they’ll be around in time for the Versphure Festival.”

“The, hmm, celebration of Valfiore's annual return from the Spirits so she could gift the world her creations of nature?”

“Mhmm, not as grandiose as the Fire Festival but it is pretty nice. They bring in a lot of flora from everywhere around the country and then decorate the whole city for the first week into Spring. Although, those with hay fever probably wouldn’t like it.” He looked down at her. “Do you want to go?”

She only had to think about it for a moment before nodding enthusiastically. “ _ Yeah _ , let's go on the weekends.”

Shi looked about to answer before he caught sight of something and swore, “Is that our bus?”

It was.

“Oh no.”

Shi took off running and Wiin dashed along. They barely made it, the bus driver almost closing the doors in their faces but kindly opening it back up for them. Probably because he saw the absolutely  _ adorable  _ look of terror on Shi’s face. They quickly tapped on and ignored the rest of the passengers who very not secretly side-eyed them with annoyance for delaying them.

They huffed out shallow breaths as they climbed onto a seat in the back and Wiin giggled as Shi let out silent laughter. She didn't know why she found that funny when normally it would've made her cringe but the humour tickled her as she leaned against his side.

“My parents will probably come back on the 4th,” he said. “If you’re free, let’s go eat out with them.”

Wiin was thrilled but hesitated in immediately saying yes. “Oh, umm, would that be okay? Don't you want to spend time with them?”

Shi blinked. “Well yes, obviously.”

“Alone, I meant,” she clarified.

“But I want you to come,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “It’d be much more fun that way. Unless... you don't want to.”

She immediately shook her head. “No, of  _ course _ I do.”

“Then it'll be okay,” he said with a confident nod, “we'll have a good time and my parents will spend too much money and then you can restrain me when I try not to get pissed off and yell at them.”

She giggled. “Okay,” she said, “I can't wait.”

She wondered what kind of people his parents were. They seemed kind, a bit fun-loving from what she gathered from Shi. She liked to think they were good people if only because Shi was one of the kindest person she knew.

“By the way, do you know where Mix and Fix actually is?” He asked, breaking her traincarriage of thought. “Specifically, I mean.”

“Nope, I'll search for it,” she said, already opening her phone to find the maps as he pressed a little closer against her shoulder to get a look.

He hummed as it finished loading up. “It’s near Anex’s desserts.”

She had to think for a moment before, “Ah, the cake shop you talked about?”

“Mhmm,” he pointed to a street a little ways off, “it’s on this street; Blue Street. The aquarium is over here,” he pointed to another place, “and I’m pretty sure there’s shopping centre right next to it as well. We can go shopping for your things after a bite to eat at Anex.”

“What do you recommend then?”

“The chocolate mudcake but I’m partial to the red velvet as well. What do you like?”

She contemplated for a moment before slowly saying, “I want to try both. Half and half?”

He nodded. “Yeah. That sounds good.”

The conversation wandered to school and Shi’s schedule which was apparently so annoying he was thinking of quitting work at the hospital.

Wiin mindlessly tucked a flower she had picked up into his hair as he talked and only froze after doing so. Shi lightly brushed his hand against it but didn’t take it out, instead he left it there and started telling her more about his school life and how much he absolutely  _ hated _ it.


	15. Chapter 14

They were dropped off twenty minutes later at a grimy bus stop a little ways off from the mechanics store.

When they reached it, Wiin thought the exterior looked incredibly plain. The image of the lifeless grey wall compared to the memory of the splash of life the Oracle Theatre had been was simply disappointing. The dirty opaque windows were too smudged to really make out what was happening inside. It looked so  _ boring _ .

Inside, it was as freezing as the outside which was simply dreadful and more dull grey painted the walls while the sticky flooring lumped under their shoes.

Wiin disliked it.

Shi rang the bell on the counter with a visible look of apprehension and immediately took out a small bottle of disinfectant to scrub his hands.

The backroom door opened and blue hair and contact golden eyes looked at them from behind a pair of goggles that didn’t cover the constellation of freckles that dusted over their face.

Wiin immediately retracted, the place wasn’t too bad.

“Hey,” the person said with a crooked smile and an accent Wiin was instantly smitten with. “I’m Al, he, him, 23. What can I help you folks with?”

“A person named Harb told us to ask for you?” she said although it sounded more like a question.

The guy sighed and muttered to himself. “Of course.” It sounded like.

Shi took out the voucher. “She handed this to us.”

“Right,” Al said with barely a look at the slip of paper before accepting it. “Well, what do you need?”

This time, Shi took out his laptop and handed it over. Wiin winced when the bottom fell out with a loud  _ clack _ . It looked even worse than the last time she saw it.

“Do you think you can fix this?” Shi asked nonplussed.

Al stared at the assembly of parts in front of him, he looked a bit like he wanted to cry. “Fella, I think by now a new laptop would the better decision and heck of alot cheaper.”

“How much would it be?” Wiin asked.

“Well, I can give you a laptop here for a thirty percent discount off a thousand, five hundred Karihi laptop.”

She cringed. She had spent 200 on hers and that had been an incredibly difficult decision. But it wasn’t her choice on what Shi wanted to spend his money so Wiin wasn't going to stop his choices despite her own personal reservations.

“Can I see?”

“Sure.” He bent behind the counter brought up a box. He grabbed a small knife and cut it open.

It was a pretty average-sized laptop, a bit bigger than hers and very prettily built in dark metallic blue and silver highlights. Shi read the specs as she played around with it. Typing on keyboards to hear the click sounds had always strangely satisfying to her and the Karihi’s was especially nice to play with.

Al leant over the counter and Wiin hesitantly looked up. (Luck, he was  _ really _ pretty.) “Hi.”

He smiled. (It was a  _ really _ nice smile.) “Hello, what’re your names?”

“I’m Wiin, female, and, uh, he’s Shi. We’re both 19.”

Shi looked up to acknowledge the greeting before quickly going back to the several manuals he had spread out in front of him.

“It’s nice to meet you two. Was there anything besides the laptop you needed?”

“No, thanks.” She paused and felt strangely brave. “Um, do you work here as a mechanic?”

He nodded. “Yep, been my dream since I was a kid to mess around with tech but well,” he gave a once over at the store, “I suppose this isn’t exactly the conditions I had thought of.” He smiled sardonically. “How about you ma’am? Living your dream job?”

She shrugged. “It wasn't my lifelong dream but I work as a florist at Flowey Sunshine in the Western Quarter.”

He blinked. “Run by the former boxing champ?”

Her Manager was sure  _ something _ if she just had people just instantly knowing her shop. “Yes.”

“Oh right! That just reminded me,” he said, snapping his fingers, “I have to fix her phone. Thanks, would’ve totally forgotten if you hadn’t said that.”

“It’s no problem,” she waved it off. “Oh, wait, actually, can you, umm, tell me more about phones?”

“Sure, what phone do you have right now?”

“Uh, some old second hand one I got for fifty bucks.”

“Must be pretty shabby.”

“I guess?” She shrugged again. “But it does what I need?”

Al very suddenly sat up straight and Shi pulled her a bit closer to himself just as she too instinctively moved back but the mechanic only grinned, “What do you reckon about an upgrade ma’am?”

“Upgrade?”

“Yeah! I’ve actually been trying to develop my own tech for some time and decided to try with a phone first. I’ve got the prototype but need sowilo tester! If you want to do it, I can draw up a contract ASAP and everything.”

He looked at her with wide, sparkling eyes and there’s just no way Wiin can decline to that face. “Umm, well can you tell me more?”

“Yes, ‘course!” He grinned and Wiin heard the tiny sigh Shi let out from beside her.

She shot a look upwards and saw Shi giving her a raised brow to which she could only smile sheepishly at. He rolled his eyes.

Al turned to Shi. “How’s the laptop going? Is it to your liking?”

Shi thought for a moment and nodded decisively. “Yes, do you accept card?”

After a quick swipe and couple of pins pressed, Shi got his new laptop in his bag although they spent a couple more minutes at the shop for Al to show Wiin the phone he had made and to discuss some specific tech (neither of them understood the jargon Al was using) while she played around with it.

“It’s pretty cool,” she said when eagerly asked by a curious Al, holding up the camera to snap a photo of Shi who only blinked. She smiled at the photo and displayed it for Shi to see.

“Ugh,” he ‘ugh’ed

“So cute,” she insisted and frowned as he wagged a finger side to side in front of her face. Wiin batted his hand away and turned to Al. “The camera is brilliant.”

The guy grinned and he moved his hand to slick back bangs from his face. “I tried to make it top-notch by experimenting with some of the best phone camera’s today and then making my own with some expert help.” Noticing her blank expression, he laughed humbly, “I won't go into the specifics but what do you reckon? Want to be the sowilo-tester, ma'am?”

She looked at Shi who shrugged with a ‘you do what you want’ expression and turned back. “Sure.”

Al saved his number into her phone under the name ‘ _ Al Hatter _ ’ with the reassurance that he'll contact her once he gets all the paperwork formalised.

“Thanks so  _ so _ much ma'am,” he said very sincerely with the loveliest smile.

“It's no problem,” she replied, feeling a little red-faced.

Shi tugged her away and silently indicated that they should go with head a tilt. After brief goodbyes, they left and the  temperature contrast between inside and out was so little, Wiin barely felt the urge to shiver. It had barely been an hour but already the outside had dropped by a few degrees.

“I see someone's a little infatuated with the pretty mechanic,” Shi teased gently after the door closed behind them.

Wiin laughed under her breath, ice clouds forming at each puff, and linked their arms together as they moved through the crowd. “He reminded me of an actor I met as a kid,” Wiin explained, feeling comfortable with this memory.

“An actor?” Shi asked, a little bright eyed in his curiosity and he honestly had no right to be _so_ _cute_.

She nodded and tried to piece together the insignificant memories. “My moms were well connected. I think- I think my mother had been a child-actor as well so that's how I got to meet a lot of actor friends she had.”

“That sounds like it would be fun,” Shi said.

Wiin chuckled quietly, more a breathless release of air than real laughter, and briefly closed her eyes in remembrance. “Most of them were eccentric. But, in a nice way.”

Shi smiled down at her not with his lips but with the soft glow of his eyes and Wiin felt her heart stop at the sight. He glanced ahead and nodded for her to follow his gaze. “We’re here.”

They made it to a brightly lit, cuddly shop that made Wiin feel mildly uncomfortable with how  _ sweet  _ everything intentionally was from it’s pastel colour scheme to it’s ribbons and striped, glittery decor and she desperately did not want to go inside.

Shi held her hand when she hesitated and didn't say a word even as awkward as it was to just stand around in front of the door like they were doing.

Through the solar-glass window the inside persistently beckoned with its grossly over exaggerated cuteness but Wiin focused on the displays of desserts this time and tightened her hold on Shi’s hand as she stepped into the bakery. God of Wind, Luck and Chaos, her skin  _ crawled _ .

“Let's eat out,” Shi suggested as they lined up and seemed to perk up with his own suggestion, “Actually, I know the  _ best _ place for us.”

Wiin smiled gratefully, “Yeah. Sorry, I can't handle this…”

She waved her hand around them when she couldn't find the word and he nodded in understanding. “Don't worry, we're here for the cakes which, look,” he pointed, “there's the red velvet strawberry and mudcake.”

They did seem pretty  _ divine _ . Wiin didn't know much about cakes and the such but these looked as amazing as the ones her parents had once spoiled her with on her birthdays.

“Wow,” she said sincerely.

He nodded enthusiastically. “Just wait until you taste them.”

“Hey, welcome to Anex’s Desserts! What would you like?” the counter person said cheerfully.

Wiin squinted a just a tiny bit. This person kinda looked a little like- “The coupon person,” she figured out and blushed when she realised she had said that out loud.

Shi ‘huh’ed in realisation and said, “What a coincidence.”

“Oh!” The person brightened up. “Shingles, you're that cute flower person, it's so nice to see you again! I'm Harb Sunbun, she, her!”

“Yeah, nice to meet you too,” Wiin nodded politely, ignoring the 'cute’ part. “I'm Wiin, she and her.”

Someone coughed pointedly behind them and Shi quickly ordered ‘to go’ which had Harb pouting.

“I'll give you a discount for being so sweet,” she whispered with a wink as she rang up their cakes. In a louder voice, she said cheerfully, “I hope you like them and I'm usually on shift during this time so I'm sure I'll see you again!”

Wiin took the (disgustingly decorated) box with gentle hands and nodded. “Yeah, I hope so too.”

“Come on, you'll love this place,” Shi said, pulling her away from the counter and the store towards a large building she only belatedly realised was the shopping centre.  _ W-wow _ .

She gazed around in amazement.

“Maybe we could shop first before eating,” Shi hummed. “Do you want to?”

Catching sight of a furniture store with large blocky  **50% OFF EVERYTHING STOREWIDE** banners almost offensively hang up in front, Wiin eagerly nodded and dragged a quietly laughing Shi off to shop. She had never felt so  _ excited _ to spend money.

Shi helped her pick out the softest three seater couch in the world and they hummed and huhhed around what colour to choose until Wiin eventually decided on a soft beige. The shop assistant said that it'd be delivered for free to her apartment in a few days time before they left.

Next, Shi nudged her almost insistently into a store she recognised as on the higher end side of brands and began picking out a few coats for her when she basically handed him full reign of finding the perfect coat. She had rarely done her own shopping even when she did have the opportunities. Shi, on the other hand, was always looking very nice in whatever he wore (that wasn't his secondary school uniform) so she trusted him.

She tried a few on and was surprised to find that most of them were very light and not as unbearably hot as her full on Winter Survival; Sky Island ver. clothing would be if she wore it in this climate.

“You don't get cold easily,” Shi said to her silent question. “So I- Well, these would be thin enough for your body to regulate your body temperature without overheating.”

Wiin blushed at his care and ducked her face behind her hands, knowing full well how embarrassing her expression probably was at that moment. Shi took her hands away and smiled down at her, dimples and a soft red to his cheeks that made him only the more annoyingly cute. He had  _ no right _ . She pinched his cheek in thanks after purchasing her favourite coat and delighted to see that his blush extended down to his collar.

“Wiin,” he said as she laughed.

She lingered outside a store with dramatic shots of hockey players as banners but didn't go in when Shi asked if she wanted to.

_ Maybe _ , she thought,  _ ma _ ybe _ next time, _ and felt a weight slowly shift.

**\--**

They huddled over the almost stupidly soft, cushy roll up blanket thing Shi had quickly bought at a shop on the way up the many flights of stairs.

The place he had been talking about was apparently the top most floor where, besides the entertainment park that was outside, there was a small section of small rooms soundproofed off for anyone who signed in.

In front of where they sat on the temperature-regulated floor, the solar-glass opened up to a sky as blue as hydrodragons and she could see the wind blowing through the city and making the trees shiver and shake. Seclure stood indomitable against the wind and only seemed to danced with the gentle twirling with its evergreen leaves. The quiet clicks of Shi setting up his new laptop lulled her into humming a quiet tune she couldn't remember the name of as she traced and tapped her hand against the smooth texture of the floor.

The red velvet was delicious.


	16. Chapter 16

School started for Shi and most of his days aligned with her off days much to both their disgust. As a result, while at work Wiin has to alternate between reading his increasingly shorthand texts and making lovely arrangements. The texts usually pitter out into various variations of:

>> **Shi** : uck this

>> **Shi** : f uck that

>> **Shi** : FUCK EVERYTHING

>> **Shi** : ...except u

Her personal favourite had been the one time he had spent a whole day screaming. Beginning quite confusingly but understandably considering it the sun had just peaked over the horizon with,

>> **Shi** : AAAAAAAA

And then three hours later at 8:34 am when she knew he had reached his first seminar,

>> **Shi** : aaaaaaaaAAAAA

End of the seminar,

>> **Shi** : AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Noon time,

>> **Shi** : AAAaaaaaaaaaaa

Second seminar,

>> **Shi** : aaaaa

Midway,

>> **Shi** : AAAAAAAÀAAAAAAAAAÀA

3:42 pm,

>> **Shi** : aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The time she knew he was having dinner because she only recently got his (and Senior, Manager, Reception Girl, the Landlord, Daeta, Ravel, Al, Harb and strangely enough _Trut’s_ ) instasnap and he turned to be _one of those_ people and so had only just seen his awfully shot photo of cup ramen when,

>> **Shi** : AAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHH H

It turned out he had spilt it. Wiin laughed harder than she thought she had in _years_.

<< **Shi** : Do you want to come over? I have soup.

>> **Shi** : you are wonderful

<< **Shi** : :-)

Al taught her how to send emoticons from the keyboard when she visited to pick up the beta-phone. That was how she was reintroduced into instasnap, honestly, because he had pre-installed it for her and she had somehow managed to remember her account and everything.

 _God of Luck_ , she had thought as she scrolled down her feed. Most of them were posts from rink mates of her ice skating days and a few family-friends. Although, occasionally popping up were strange former classmates who she had had distant relationships with. (Realistically, she knew most of them had forgotten they had even followed her and that was why they were still mutuals.)

Al tapped linked them and she gained another friend.

Wiin’s first posts in two years went like so:

A shakily shot selca with a grinning Manager or lazily smiling Senior as they all stood in the best lighting and background of blooming flowers. ' _with_ **BoxBoss** _and_ **FlowerBro** || _Flowey Sunshine_ ’

That had quickly gained quite a few likes and a few comments from the past welcoming Wiin back. Daeta, Trut and then basically everyone from TreeHouse City liked it as well.

Then she took couple from Selsta, after a quick reassurance that she was allowed. The interior of the shop, her usual table, the mark of name on the cardboard cup. She found that she could add location captions and quickly did. Her phone had exploded with notifications of likes and she turned them off except from those she followed.

Her last one was this: Shi was propped up against her sofa’s armrest with a throw pillow given by Trut smooshed against his chest, looking sweaty and bored. His light hair, dishevelled from frustratingly running his hand through it the whole day, reflected harshly in  the LED light. The glimmer of his red eyes peeked between his eyelashes as he stared down at his phone. This was her favourite.

She captioned it ‘ _with_ **screwsushi** ||#practically_roomates’ and smiled in delight as Daeta commented a single frowny face and Harb mentioned the juxtaposition between Shi’s photos and hers.

 **screwsushi** : fuck off @ **sweetsun**

 **screwsushi** : wiin is just too talented okay

Phones were pretty neat when you had these friends.

\--

She had a thermos bottle she hadn't realised she owned in one hand and a soft sky-coloured scarf draped across the other; all set to ambush. She let out a happy hum and reached for the door to Shi’s apartment building

“You piece of fucking shit!” A voice, strangely familiar, blurred with choked rage and Wiin froze, letting her hand slip from the handle like it burned.

More curses and yelling and heavy pounding as someone approached the door and yanked it open. Shi stormed out, cheeks flushed and eyes burning like fire.

(Wiin wonders how she had ever thought he was made of blizzards and ice when his rage was an inferno of hot magma, and it spilled forth like pyroclastic surges.)

He brushed past Wiin, too upset to even notice her, and she stared at his retreating back with wide eyes.

She knew now, how he sounds really, truly angry and wondered when she'll stop feeling the haunting _b-bump_ of her heart.

She hesitated but ran after him in the end, shadowing his angry strides until he finally snapped up to look back.

“Wiin? What are you doing here?” he asked quietly and she knew he was forcing his anger down, knew that the bite behind his words wasn't aimed at her. She stepped a tiny bit back anyways. But his breath left crystals in the air and his nose was already looking red and he shivered a little. She took the step back and made up for it by walking up to him.

“Shi,” she said and clumsily wrapped the scarf around his neck after she pushed the thermos into his hands.

He fumbled with it and the anger bled away to adorable befuddlement. “Wai- What?”

“Ambush success,” she said and he softened as he opened the thermos, the smell of chocolate chipping the last of his anger.

In mutual silence, they started walking to the bus stop, swapping the thermos between themselves.

“Did you hear that?” he asked, looking down and not at her face.

“Yes,” she said in a neutral tone her mom would be proud of.

His eyes flickered to hers. “I'm sorry you had to. Hear that I mean.”

She held the thermos out for him and smiled minutely. “It's okay.”

He doesn't speak of it and she doesn't ask. She hugged him though when the bus was in sight and he's warm against her.

“See you,” he said.

She stayed under the awning until she started to feel numb with the cold but the imprint of his arms around hers and blaze of his heat stayed bone deep.

She breathed out and whispered, “Good bye Shi.”

\--

A week later and it's an okay day although Shi had near permanent bags under his eyes and carried exhaustion in his shoulders that she knew doesn't entirely relate to school.

She doesn't say a word beyond daily 'Are you okay? and hoped one day that he'd answer the offer of help. More amusing though was that she had started to pick him up from school with Daeta driving and Ravel calling shotgun.

“Get in asshole!” Daeta had said the first time they entered campus, leaning out the window and cupping a hand to his mouth to further project his embarrassing shout.

Shi, who had been with a group of classmates, flipped him off but broke off from the group when Wiin also poked out and waved.

“Wiin,” he said as he came closer. “Why are you here?”

“Hi Shi,” she smiled. “We came to pick you up.”

“Where are we going?” He asked even as he sat down when she popped open the door and slid down for him. He waved a hand at his schoolmates before he closed his door.

“Ravel Drakgonar, she, her,” Ravel said, turning around in her seat and offering a enchanting smile that Shi only blinked at. “We're going to the Solstice Garden.”

“Oh, um, Shi Kappa, he and him,” he said and accepted the sandwich Wiin handed him with a polite thank you. “And, oh, that’s right, today's the Solstice.”

“No eating in the car!” Daeta screeched when he heard the pop of the plastic container and turned around to glare bloody murder at Shi.

Wiin shoved his head back. “Eyes on the road.”

Shi chewed as obnoxiously as he could.

Ravel eventually demanded ice cream with Wiin easily chiming a fervent second while Shi supported the cause simply because of spite. Daeta begrudgingly admitted a sudden craving and pulled into a drive through.

“Spill and die,” he said as he handed the ice cream out to all of them.

Shi had a sudden gleam in his eyes and Wiin very quickly said in a very serious tone, “If you waste any of it, you are dead to me.”

He huffed but ate every last sugary bite.

The Solstice Garden was less a garden and more a gigantic field of grass with about a ball court of trees and a million wild flowers. A few shelters littered the area; each one cramped with about ten different families and way too many children. They took one look at that mess of social interaction and, as one, turned towards the nearest tree. Ravel set out the blanket in a quick, incredibly graceful snap of her wrist that perfectly laid the cloth out in a neat rectangle. Daeta grumbled about unfair skills and Wiin started unloading her four plastic bags worth of store bought snacks, and warm drinks in piles of categories.

He stopped his whining and leapt at the mountain of crisps. “Oh thank fuck.”

With expressed permission, Wiin huddled against Ravel’s side when it was quickly established that she was literally a human heater which was pretty neat when the sun started its descent and the winds nipped at their skins. Shi curled onto his side and rested his head into Wiin’s lap, steadily stuffing his face with a plethora of different snacks as he played around on his phone. Daeta tucked himself on the other side of Ravel and loudly started reciting poetic prayers in Ancient Valf about flowers and trees and bloodlines. (Quietly, he whispered that those who had passed would be guided by Eam, the divine daughter, safely through the Spirits to where his Goddess will give all reincarnation.)

Feeling compelled by a surprising playful urge, Wiin sung over him in older, harsher Fwein, praising the God of Luck for the wind that shaped the worlds, for the prosperity he granted those worthy, to his most beautiful gift to the world for the chance to grow through his chaotic gambles.

It dissolved into a contest by the time he had repeated all his prayers at least four times and she had ran out of praises and was basically singing ten different hymns again and again.

Ravel struck them down the moment she opened her mouth; the burning passion of Rah’s Words left everyone blindsided by the an inferno of pride behind her ferociously gentle speech as she empowered the Goddess Fire.

It was quiet until Shi laughed and said he recorded _all_ of that in jarring Phialiht and then ducked his head and quickly mumbled a few compliments for Inatz, mighty God of Lightning, whose light will guide the world to a bright future.

“I thought you weren't religious,” Wiin said, poking him in the side.

He squirmed away with a defensive wiggle and tiny _eek_ . (She stored _this_ knowledge away for another time.) “I'm not. Akarementa’s educational system is like two hundred years old and still teaches us to offer compliments on sacred days if we speak. It's a habit now.” He paused and realized she had understood. “How did you even know what I said it- actually why do you know? Phialiht isn't exactly that useful beyond the borders.”

“Tutors,” Wiin said with a grimace. Learning the nine spoken languages in the Welscor continent had been the few subjects she had never been able to beg her moms to let her out of.

“Work,” Ravel said mysteriously.

“It was interesting,” Daeta said, rubbing his chin in thought with a flash of his inner curiosity shining through and making his maze eyes a little easier to navigate. “I grew up in the Elarus-” somehow Wiin highly doubted this was true “-one of Huana’s major cities. There's a lot of trade with the other nations and I begged my parents to get me a bunch of scripts on the languages of Welscor. How about you?”

Shi shrugged. “My parents are travellers and, after I finished my primary education from all over the Akarementa, I went with them to the other countries.”

It's the most civil conversation the two _ever_ had.

A few people approached them though before they could continue making friendship history; scholarly types, curious ones, and older generations who were way too obviously religious.

There was a bit of a history lesson (Shi groaned) in between conversation and Wiin found it strangely fascinating.

“The Republic is more multicultural than the others bordering our land but it is one of the only Welscor country to have only Common as the official language,” a young scholar explained eagerly to her when she asked.

“The Olde Language,” an elder in very religious but entirely too formal dress for a _Solstice_ began, “had been the original indigenous speech during the TreeHouse era, I believe you young whippa snappers say that it goes even further back into prehistoric times.”

Most of them nodded. “There's debate, but we’re like pretty sure.”

"Shush,” the elder said and they quieted down. “After the War of Twenty Seasons had been won by Finnel ancestors-”

“Go tribe,” Wiin muttered under her breath in Fwein and only Daeta snorted in amusement. Shi, who was very badly pretending to listen to this 'stupid things I've already spent twelve years learning’ and not at all playing Angry Pigmy-Squirrels on his phone, blinked at her.

“-those who had spoken Olde were few and the minority of the occupants. Pass by a few centuries and many more wars, and the Republic eventually emerged as it's own country, breaking free of being tossed around as another nation's territory. However, because of that toss and turn, there was a conundrum of what the official language was until census showed the majority spoke in Common.”

“Fascinating,” Ravel said, one fourth truthful, and the rest polite fakeness.

The small crowd eventually left with well wishes for the Solstice.

“Can you tell me more about Rah’s Words?” Wiin asked. “It's the hardest language I had to learn. So many consonants and rules.”

Ravel paused and the shadows seemed to scar across the moon as her stillness continued. Daeta looked at her sharply. “Rah’s Words,” she began softly like the crackling of a spring fire, “is spoken in Zaihuo’s capital, the Last City of the Fire; Shan Hou. But it is in the most isolated villages, the ones who had not been decimated by the Plague, that truly speak the gifted words of the Goddess’s divine son had delivered to my people.”

Wiin winced. The Plagues were a dark history for all those in Welscor but especially the archipelago nation. _The Day the Sky Bled_ , her tenth grade teacher had whispered to their class on a rare bright sunny day. This was what had become of them, what had become of a people seventy thousand years old in traditions. Twenty years ago, those leeches had stolen the Sacred Fire from the First Rave Temple and they burned the cities and men, women and children trapped in them to the ground. Few had been able to even escape, and none of them had left without something of themselves missing in those charcoal embers. Wiin remembered vividly; red raw scars against their pale skin, crawling into the ink black of their hairline. The teacher had disappeared for a week after that.

“Can you teach me please?” Wiin asked; stifled her breath into her lungs.

Ravel’s black hair shined like opals and then she smiled, eyes closed and lips turned upwards like a divine secret. “Of course.” A beat. Then two. “Tell me about Fwein.”

“Sure.”

Around them the Solstice celebration took place and the people sung and ate, dancing dances passed down through destiny but the four of them remained beside the tree.

She looked at the grinning moon and spoke.


	17. Chapter 17

The first day of Spring sneaked by with the beginning of a heat wave and it's  _ awful _ . Wiin instantly bought a reusable ice pack while Trut phoned her almost constantly to make sure she hadn't died. They always left a tip on how to get over the new constant humidity in the air. It was a nice, useless gesture because they had lived in  _ Paciden  _ which was a temperate underwater island.

The Versphure Festival was very pretty though.

Daeta guided her around it in his car with the blessed air conditioner and they swapped fables of the beginning of the world. Shi slumped in the backseat with his own pillow and muttered Inatz’s teachings at them whenever she turned around to ask him what he had grown up learning.

“In the time before time, there was cosmos and only cosmos,” she said while taking about a million photos of the passing streetscapes filled with plants. “But in cosmos eventually grew Chaos and they took upon their power to create Life. Thus, the First Chaos perishes. But universe dictates balance be held so Life is split into two. Thus, Death is born and the beginning begun.”

“Interesting.” Daeta said; was practically sparkling or maybe that was just the afternoon sun. “We don't really have stories of about how the  _ universe _ started; usually just the Guardian Trees and how Valfiore had taken their fallen branches and their fruits and cried her tears of red onto them and that's how the first humans were born.”

Shi snorted. “No way, that's how the first  _ bodies  _ were made. The first  _ humans  _ began when Inatz saw Valfiore's creations and thought it was a waste that they only stood around like flora. So ‘ _ he tucked lightning in their heads and light in their eyes and thought was created _ ’.”

“Which wouldn't mean anything if my God had not taken his Chaos and given it to all life, allowing for them to deviate from the ‘path’ dictated by Inatz,” Wiin cut in, putting down her phone to twist around and look at Shi. “‘He took his Chaos and sacrificed to us for our chance to grow. And thus, the Last Chaos perishes and rose Fwelix, God of Luck and Wind and Chaos left in the universe _. _ ’”

“Wait, so your legend says that Deities can limit their power?” Daeta asked, stopping the car as they hit traffic.

She shook her head. “Not ‘limit’;  _ giveaway _ . It's balance. It'll always be balance.”

\--

Shi and Wiin head out to an out of the way restaurant that was a lot more quiet than either of them liked. Harb popped out from the kitchens when they rang the bell on the counter, blonde hair hidden in a mesh and apron stained with grease.

“Wiin! Hi!” she cheered, looking like sunlight as she positively beamed. Wiin squinted just the tiniest bit.

“Hello.”

They got free cookies and while Wiin (who resolved to get the girl something for being so sweet) concentrated on actually eating, Shi and Harb shared a pleasant passive-aggressive talk fuelled by the keyboard sounds of their phones and witty insults.

Wiin had eaten half of Shi’s plate before he finally noticed. There was a cry of outrage and she hid her smile into the palm of her hand.

\--

Sunset winds nipped at their exposed faces. With painful chill, it blew their bangs into unprotected eyes and, while Wiin doesn't mind, Shi constantly batted his away. His scarf covered his mouth and the peak of his nose but the tips of his ears are redder than his eyes and every time he reached up to move his bangs, he pulled the blue fabric higher.

Wiin has tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat but she took one out and pressed it against his frost-bitten cheek, trailed her fingers upwards and tucked a stray bang behind his ear. His skin's cold as ice.

At her touch, he blinked and met her eyes before hesitantly reaching up with a gloved hand and interlacing their fingers. The leather is warm and soft and she squeezed his hand before tucking them both into her pockets. They're pressed shoulder to shoulder.

“Shi Kappa?” A voice called out and they're ripped from the moment.

Shi looked away from her, eyes quickly clipping on an armoury worth of hostility as he stared at the person who had spoken.

“You’re one of Janua’s friends,” he said, voice as jagged as lightning strikes. “What?”

The stranger looked from him to Wiin and she braced herself at the darkening expression on their face as their eyes went back and forth between them.

“So you've found yourself a new SO,” they said, sneer repulsive.

Shi looked like he would bite off their face. “Even if I had, what's that to do with you?”

“How could you just get over Janua like that?” They spat out. “Do you realise how much Janua is hurt?”

Shi talked back, of course, all frozen blizzard that’s not calm at all but ferocious and blind and raging. “Who do you think you  _ are _ ?”

Curses and accusations are daggered into each other but instead of weakening him, Shi only became more and more brutally vicious as the other person screamed at him.

And then their focus shifted. Wiin might have been taken aback by their gaze before but the look of disgust on their face is enough for her to feel threatened.

Common was neutral words and tones. Wiin learnt the slang through locker room discussions and conversations in TreeHouse City. The swearing is decoded through translation and while the impact of the words this person hurls at her don't affect her, the tone _ does. _

“Filthy-”

“Disgusting-”

“Horrible-”

“Evil-”

“Cheating  _ thief _ .”

Shi pushed her immediately behind him, breaking their hand hold to place himself straight backed and fists balled in front of her. Like the Shields of Jemja, who had protected Terra from the dark empty cosmos; had sacrificed their layers to fight and protect until Terra had desperately thrown them into the velvet sky so that they needn't suffer anymore. Shi didn't raise his hands though and threw caustic words like venom solely backed by the sound of thunder in his voice. He's absolutely  _ furious _ .

But he rushed her away before the stranger could say any more. So gentle in the way he bundled her into the bus to go home. Soft like the rain of a dying storm.

He stared dead ahead because Inatz was the God of the Future and Shi said prayers to him under his breath in the language of light from the sky.

She reached to hold his hand but paused (“ _ disgusting _ ”) and eventually dropped her hand to squeeze them together.

He escorted back to her apartment, leaning against the threshold with one foot inside and the other out. His scarf was half unraveled by that point and his fingers rubbed together the same way he would when turning the page of a book.

“I'll see you later,” he said and smiled sweetly, dimples in his cheeks, and Wiin’s breath caught in her throat.

He left before she could reply, closing the door behind him.

She tasted copper on her tongue and realised she's bitten through her cheek.

She has Empor blood running through her veins. Her God was Luck, Wind, Chaos. Lies, Double-Facing, Mischief.

Shi's eyes had been ash covered burn marks.

She choked blood on her sob.

\--

_ tap thut thut _

Wiin blinked herself awake.  _ thut _ . Rubbed at her eye --  _ tap _ \-- to get rid of her sleepiness and understand the world.  _ thut. _

There's an insistently knocking on her door.

Wiin got up slowly, made sure her stance was balanced as lessons on how to fight (her family’s tailored style, of course, so it was more murder first, plead self-defence later) rearranged itself into her head and made her first step onto cold timbre.

_ thut tap tap _

The moon glinted silver through her curtains and it casted a line into the midnight dark room. The floorboards lit up like a pathway Inatz himself had crafted and lead her to her door.

_ tap- _

She opened it.

Shi stood outside and it’s not the packed bags thrown beside him that made her worry. His hair's a mess of a wreck and he’s red faced as he was red eyed. Harsh breathing expelled warm air and it's like looking at a taboo.

He hugged her and the initiating touch was unexpected because he's always been about the smaller gestures but she wrapped her arms around him.

“You’re amazing,” he said in Phialiht, in Common, in the Fwein she taught him. Again and again. Like a prayer. Like a curse. “You’re amazing. Amazing.”

She pulled him down from the sky his mind hurricaned through, down to press against the bone of her shoulder.

His breath was white hot, little lightning sparks of heat against her pajama material, and he clung to her, shaking like a bell charm in a thunderstorm.

She smoothed out starlight hair at the crown of his head, where the faith laid, and ran her hand in circles between the bones of shoulder blades, the centre of his soul. He sniffled and hiccupped but his hold gentled from desperation to the crave of comfort. Gently, she eased them inside and kicked her door close before she lead them both to the couch. Laying them sideways so that they were face to face, she watched as he hid himself into the cradle of the throw pillow.

With a gentle hand, she pulled him away before he smothered himself and used her thumb to rub at his temple, the balance of the soul. His eyes are closed, fragile, too thin skin valiantly blocking his sight from the damned world. He sighed; the storm was over.

“Miss C,” he mumbled like drained stormwater. “She's my landlady and a pretentious, meddlesome person.”

Ah. One of those.

“Janua- I-” hs sighed, “She's seen a lot of terrible things from the years I've lived there and she cornered me today and-” he stopped, breathed out and in, “-and I know she means well-”

“Stop,” Wiin commanded. “Don't ever excuse anyone for making you feel miserable, Shi.”

She's a horrible hypocrite but listen to her words not her example.

“I- Yeah, yeah, she was  _ talking _ about you and- and she didn't know what she was talking about.” He held her arms and looked her right in the eyes, said like an ultimatum, “She had  _ no right _ to say- to say those types of things.  _ Especially _ , about you. No right, Wiin.”

His breath was fire, blue edged white electricity that ran jagged lines against her face. He stared at her with red, red eyes and while she may have thought  _ blizzard _ in the beginning, it was obvious now that he was  _ thunderstorm _ . Akarementa’s Child.

He rubbed a thumb along her arm where he clutched at her in circles, softly with hands that learned to soothe away pain.

_ No _ , she thought. This was Shi Kappa and only himself.

“I appreciate you,” she said, tracing his face. “For yourself and being who you are.”

This would be a kiss scene in a drama except they are them and not lovesick characters.

He explained.

“I moved into the apartment when I was seventeen, after I got into Intuition U. I've known Janua for a while, he's a family friend but I was never able to get really close to anyone then. He was... nice. To me. Introduced me to everyone in the apartment like Miss C and Lens. Lens is- was cool, she's a single mom and her kid's sweet. I don't know, I haven't really interacted with anyone after- after-”

He took a deep breath. “The thing is-  _ was _ , was that Janua and I hooked up like two months after. He was attractive and one of the only people I had an emotional connection to at that point. I just never realised, well how  _ shit _ we were at communicating. Inatz’ Foresight, the fact that we didn't even define  _ what we were _ should've been a warning but I thought it was  _ romantic _ and labels didn't matter.

“I- He never  _ cheated _ . At least, I don't think so but everything with him was just so damning  _ uncertain _ and I just didn't know whatever the misery it was we even  _ were _ . So we fought and fought and then I caught him with a few girls and I don't think he was with them in any way but I was so angry and well we basically stormed out after shouting at each other for like four hours after midnight.”

He rubbed a hand across his face. “They left me. They all did because Janua was heartbroken and I was the  _ Winter Child _ ; of course, I could get over my first romantic  _ whatever _ leaving me.”

She doesn't speak. Doesn't know what words to be said that will even begin to heal the raw cracks in his spirit. So she gathered him up against her and hoped touch could be his comfort; wished she knew how to ease a person with a few words and a steady hand but she doesn't and it's painful.

He laughed like he wanted to cry. “My life is really just mundane and dull. Such a rich person's problem.”

Wiin shushed him, cradled his head between her palms and wished her words could enter his soul through that touch. “Being hurt isn't a competition,” she said. “This hurts you and it  _ matters _ .”

His breath was his, an exhale against her collarbone.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

He held her hand and stayed over for the next week.


	18. Chapter 18

Having a best friend as your roommate for week would've been fun. Having a university student as your roommate for week would've been mildly terrifying. Having both as the same person was fondly irritating.

Shi forgot to wash the dishes, bought a collapsible table because he was still going to school (Wiin swore he was a masochist), stayed up too late and stress cooked instant food in a pot he had taken with his backpack of clothes. He left a mess of paper and kept losing his eReader in the pile spawn almost everywhere and Wiin wondered how the in Fwelix’s name did he even have half of it in his bag and why he just didn't use a freaking tablet if he had to write.

She stayed up with him in that week, eating his pretty awful attempts of boiling water and mixtures and answering 'insomnia’ when he told her to hypocritically sleep early.

They spent about an hour every night trying to get the other to sleep on her bed while one of them used the same roll up blanket he had brought over. It's stupid cause what actually happens is that they either stay up completely or both pass out on the sofa and then roll over onto the floor throughout the night.

She bought a pillbox when she saw Shi’s and thought it was so much easier than what she’d been doing and had everyone doodle something on it. Shi had (badly) drawn flowers, Ravel had written her name in Fwein and then Rah underneath it, Daeta made crappy doodles of everyone while Harb blew them all out of the running when she sketched a perfect replication of Fwelix’s Mark.

Two days and an ingenuous comment from Trut later, Wiin shoved the (mildly overflowing) basket of laundry at Shi, stating he wasn't allowed into the apartment until everything was washed. At least he finally wore a different shirt.

He introduced her to mobile mmorpg games when he explained to her what he did when he was procrastinating and she was curious enough to download it as well. She's built two castles and reached the top three hundred on  _ Secret Caves and Tunnels _ when a stupidly named guild suddenly invited her.  _ Kingdom_of_Losers.  _ The rejection button had never been so swiftly tapped.

Daeta whined to her about rejecting his invite the next day and there was the painful urge to roll her eyes when he told her he was KoL’s co-leader. Ravel lightly pointed out that she was the actual leader.

“Oh, okay, I’ll join,” Wiin said immediately.

It's much more fun playing with a guild.

Shi was already part of the IntoU Guild (Wiin wondered if having crappy names was a given and closed her eyes in exasperation) which was created exclusively for Intuition U. students. He said he would've changed but alas he spent about one-fourth of the day with the other members and did not need more drama when group projects were still a thing. They even have a club that he never went to, apparently.

They're half-heartedly sing-humming Star-Crossed Secrets as the two guilds randomly decided to duel the dreamlight out of each other.

“A _ nd _ the w _ ar _ di _ vi _ ded their p _ eop _ lee,” he sung and detonated lightning onto her minions, wiping out all of the Level 1s and half of her Level 2s.

She harmonised with him and whooped “ _ Secret _ love _ errs _ !” as she froze the field and Daeta coincidentally dropped an ATK boost that basically ended up destroying their Wall of Chang.

He cursed. The rest of his Guild quickly but futilely tried to stop the stampede of instantly deployed Level 5s.

“ _ Kingdom_of_Losers _ Wins!” the phone buzzed.

She hummed the rest of the song to herself as Shi wallowed in post-defeat self-pity.

The next day, Daeta laughed long and hard in the faces of all the IntoU Guild's members when they went to pick Shi up.

“Hey losers!”

Wiin pinched his ear and he yelped.

\--

“Hey Win-”

“ _ Shut _ the fuck up.”

\--

“Listen here-”

“No, just go  _ away _ .”

\--

“Is that your new  _ SO _ ?”

“Go get fucked you piece of shit, don't you fucking  _ dare _ talk to her that way, freaking empty-headed ingrate.”

\--

“You’re that cheat-”

Daeta bared his teeth.

\--

Wiin stretched and was immensely satisfied with the crack of pops.

Harb cringed. “You know that sounds so painful?”

“Sorry,” Wiin said not feeling sorry at all. “But how's the cake going?”

“It's fine, don't worry, they'll  _ love _ it I'm sure!” She said cheerfully. “You're the best friend, there's no way they'll dislike you!”

Wiin remained unconvinced.

“What design do you want on it?” Harb asked as Wiin handed her the frosting.

She hummed then grinned. “Can you draw sushi?”

“And  _ this _ is why you’re my favourite,” Harb cackled.

\--

Wiin gently shoved a bouquet of Moon Crescents and Orchidnas into his arms the moment he came through the doors and tried desperately to not drop the box of cake by doing so. They were in the foyer of the apartment and she was pretty sure the tiles would not appreciate sugar and icing decorating it.

He looked like she gifted him perfect ignorance. “Oh thank sight.”

“I can't believe you didn't get them a gift,” she said.

Shi sighed and nodded solemnly. “I'm a bad son.”

She tapped his cheek. “Shush,” she said. “You're not; you're dealing with a bad situation and  _ school _ and you even remembered to ask me to make an arrangement.”

He hugged her shoulders. “You are  _ best _ bro.”

She indulgently leaned into him for a moment before the risk of dropping the cake once again became imminent and she straightened up. “When are your parents coming?”

Shi shrugged and showed her his phone screen. “5, apparently. But they have chronic always-late-to-everything syndrome so, most likely 5:30.”

“Always late to everything?”

He obligingly ticked off with his fingers. “Birthday, anniversary, every party or celebration ever, apparently their own wedding, my first day of school, my last day of school, my graduation, their  _ own _ graduation for that matter and I think one of them was even late to my own birth or something.”

“Wow,” Wiin said, deadpan in the way a person who was drilled to be punctual only could.

He grinned. “Let's get a drink. I'm craving chocolate milk like crazy.”

“Go buy some at the convenience store down the street.”

“Yeah.” He turned to go but blinked when she didn't move. “You're not coming with me?”

She looked through opaque doors and the absolute heat was looking like it was having the time of its life bending the very air. Just looking at it made her feel faint. “Yeah, no.”

He grimaced. “Do you think the receptionist will have some instant mix?”

She laughed but didn't answer. “Do you have sunscreen on?”

“Yeah,” he waved with the hand not holding the bouquet, “I'll be back very quickly.”

Seven minutes later, he returned red-faced and sticky and Wiin wiped the sweat off his forehead. The cheap chocolate drink was sweet and she licked her lips.

“Worth it?” she asked.

He practically chugged the whole thing down. “Inatz,  _ yes _ .”

His phone rang and she now recognised the tune as Underlore’s Hopes to Dreams and also just  _ how _ nerdy that exactly was. He deliberately let it played for a moment before picking up.

“We'll head out now,” he said into the phone, looking at her and jerking his head to the door. “You still have the same auto right? ...You got a new one.” He closed his eyes and breathed out. “ _ Foresight's forgiveness _ , I'm not even going to ask how much it was. Okay, so it's the purple one? Yeah, I can see it.”

Purple was an understatement. Wiin appreciated how glaringly obnoxious the shade was and resolved to  _ burn _ anything else that somehow managed to be the same shade.

“Wow,” they said at the same time with two very different tonal inflection.

One of Shi's parents waved them inside and they quickly did. It's much more reasonably lilac colour schemed interior humbly cooled the heat away.

“Sweetie, is that for us?” they said towards the moon crescents and orchidnas.

“Yeah, pare,” he said and handed them over. “Wiin made it.”

“They're lovely. And you must be Wiin,” the parent not directing the auto said, twisting around to look at her with a dimpled smile that had her automatically returning it. “I'm this one's pare,” they gestured to Shi who rolled his eyes. “You can call me pare and my spouse here parent, us two are them, they. We've heard so much about you from Shi-”

“-and we’re very happy our little baby is growing up and meeting such good best friends like you,” parent said with a tearfully proud tone that Shi reflexively groaned at.

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” she recited smoothly with her  _ perfect _ smile and saw Shi look at her from the corner of her eye. “I’m Wiin Temporar, she and her. I'm very glad to make your acquaintances.”

They exchanged more light talking and her face was beginning to hurt from disuse of this particular expression.

Shi took her hand midway through a discussion on how to properly care for lunar plants and she turned her gaze towards him. He only met her eyes and traced a finger across the back of her skin.

“Relax,” he whispered. “You're fine.”

\--

It's twenty minutes and four regales from his parents’ latest field research (they were biologists, how was she  _ not _ surprised) later the two of them realised that they actually had no idea where they were dining.

“Oh there was this really nice restaurant in Seclure a friend of us recommended,” parent answered airily.

Shi muffled his face into his hands and Wiin was unsure whether the scream she heard was her or him. “ _ Why _ ?”

“Why not?” they replied.

“Shi,” she hissed under her breath, “I thought this was supposed to be  _ casual _ .”

“I thought so too!” he hissed back. “I'm wearing freaking  _ jeans _ and a shirt I've had since  _ secondary _ school.”

She coughed disbelievingly. “You're absolutely  _ fine _ , you look business casual which  _ everyone _ loves.  _ I _ haven't worn this dress since I was  _ sixteen _ .”

“It's a classic look, shut up, you're aesthetically beautiful and anyone else can catch these hands for all their opinion matter in regards to whatever the Gaze you do.”

She poked him in the chest and desperately willed away the urge to pinch his cheek. “Then you can't say anything about yourself because you're lovely in my eyes and more importantly in my heart because  _ your _ heart is what is the only thing  _ anyone _ should ever judge a person with and you're a  _ beautiful _ and  _ wonderful _ person.” She paused. “By the way, your blush only makes you even more adorable.”

He went redder. “Just. Stop.”

His parents laughed and started cooing about how cute Shi had been at certain mortifying points in time and Shi sank into the seat with a look that screamed 'kill me now’.

Dinner turned out fine.


	19. Chapter 19

“Are you sure?” she asked even as she handed over his bag.

“Yeah. Well no, not really. But  _ yeah _ , I-I have to. Eventually. Better now than never.”

“Okay.” She held onto his arm. “You'll  _ always _ have someone for you, okay?”

He linked their hands and squeezed before letting go. “Yeah.”

Shi went home with resolution and eyes set forward.

Wiin watched his back disappear behind closed doors and wondered when his presence in her apartment will stop lingering.

\--

She's alone when it happened. 

Senior was in the back, making arrangements for a proposal, and she's manning the front desk. It's a slow day so she's mostly just smashing lower levels on SC&T as her other hand mindlessly tapped, traced a pattern on the counter.

The bell rang and she quickly closed the app and smiled.

“Welcome!”

A slim person entered and Wiin wasn't one to judge but coming from a lineage of relatives who would gladly murder each other to gain power does give quite a bit of instinct to her self-preservation.

Flight or flight.

But there's nowhere to hide and the person's charging at her with dark eyes.

“You're that cheating toy, right?” they said silky smooth and Wiin eyed the hand in their jacket pocket. “The one that stole Jan’s boy or something.”

_ B-bump _

She leaned back and away, hoped her face was set with genuine fear but not so much that her tiny pride would take a hit. She would  _ never  _ submit to some bully who wasn't even her family.

“Listen, Jan is mine and he's been quite upset over this recent development so I hope you can get the message and  _ remove  _ yourself from the situation before it's forced on you. Be a good little  _ flapper _ .”

They moved as if to take their hand out of the pocket but not before she did. She bumped her elbow back and the vase she knew was behind her dropped. The shattering of glass rained like the call of help.

“Senior!” she called out.

He's out the door in an instant and took one look at the stranger and her face before he's frowning and looking genuinely angry.

“Get lost now or I'll call the police for harassment,” he said in a tone she's never heard before.

“Alright, alright, no harm,” they said, putting their hands up and thankfully there's nothing in them. “But, remember girlie what I said.”

And they're gone.

Wiin slid down to the ground and only belatedly remembered the glass when her hand caught the edges of one.

“Junior?” Senior called, coming to crouch by her side. “Ah! You're bleeding. Come on, I know it's rough but we have to get that looked at and the floor cleaned before any more accidents happened.”

She followed him.

_ Breathe with me Wiin, in two, three.. out… _

She barely felt the sting of water or the antibacterial cream.

_ In, out, in, out. _

“Junior?  _ Wiin _ ? Can you hear me? Crap, I'm going to get the Manager and then we'll get you home okay? I'll make sure she understands that you really need some rest. I'll be right back, stay here, Junior.”

_ Breathe. _

“Hey there, fledger. Heard what happened, of all times I had to be out. You have the rest of the day off and tomorrow too if you want. Your Senior will take you home, can you get up? There you go.” Firm hands steadied her on her feet. “I'll see you later okay, Wiin?”

The trip home was a complete blur and she's only aware that she's outside her apartment door when Senior asked her for the keys.

“Please,” she said from the sofa when he went to leave. “Shi.”

Senior helped her make the call and explained quietly into the phone what had happened. She tuned this out and shook her head head when Senior offered the phone. She wanted his voice when she hold his comfort.

“He's coming in a few,” Senior said, crouching by her side. “I'll stay until he does though.”

It doesn't stay quiet for long and spoke quietly with an absent minded tone that said he was mostly talking to himself. “You're my Junior, my only junior actually. You haven't really interacted with the other workers cause you always take early or late shifts but they're mostly part timers and the other full ones are all older than me.”

He patted her head and it's a strange, nice gesture.

“You work hard,” she blinked at this but he only nodded, “I've seen your sketchbooks, Wiin. In the beginning, that was what liked that about you, your hard work, and the more we worked together, the more I began to like you as a person as well. You have a good heart and I don't want you to ever feel like this again; I promise I'll look after you properly.” He held out his fist. “We're going to be proper friends from now on so just call me Seo, okay?”

“Seo,” she said, bumping her hand to his. He smiled like the sun. She crinkled her eyes, just a bit, and wondered why that smile looked familiar.

_ Tap tap tap _

Seo stood up at the knock and moved to open the door.

Shi who had  _ told _ her he would be busy at school looked like he had rushed all the way to her apartment. Shs felt guilty when she remembered how swamped he was.

He hugged her the moment he saw her, throwing his bag to the side as he rushed to hold her and the guilt is pushed aside for relief.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, crying into her shoulder. “I’m _so_ _sorry_.”

She doesn’t cry, just clutched him with the same desperation she had held Trut.

\--

Seo went back to the shop and Wiin clasped his forearm in Finnel custom as she saw him off from her door.

“We're friends,” she said to him, and then reached up to trace three lines on his face in Gaeia tradition. He looked gobsmacked by the gesture.

He tightened his hold on her arm and mimicked her actions with his other hand. His fingertips are butterfaries on her skin. She saw the Circles of Terra tattooed into each digit. “What are we supposed to do with our arms?”

Shi, who had gone through this with her, explained, “Shaking once signifies first meeting, two for family respect or three for romantic intentions. But a strong hold is for friends.”

“You can let go now,” Wiin said and he did. “Thank you, Seo. I'll see you later.”

He smiled. “Bye Wiin. Later, Kappa.”

Wiin closed the door when he disappeared from sight and Shi pulled her to sit down.

He used the collapsible table she kept to spread out his research for an assessment he quietly explained the details of as she leaned into his side. She closed her eyes after he trailed off to actually start working on the task.

“Am I boring you?”

She hummed, shook her head and it's silent.

He leaned his head to rest against hers for a brief moment before he stood up. She slumped onto into her knees and he tucked the thin blanket they'd been using around her. “Did you take your pills today?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’m going to order take out. The assignment’s too annoying.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Do you want anything?”

“No, you can pick.”

“Do you want to watch a movie?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, you can decide then.”

He handed over the laptop and after showing her which websites to use, she's left to browse as he made a phone call to get what she thought was rice and about twenty different side dishes.

It's accidental when she saw the horror section and consequently the highly acclaimed ‘Jun Onu’. As a result of this twist in Luck though, she found out he  _ hated _ horror movies and she's almost crying from trying not to giggle by the third scream.

“I hate this,” he hissed when the Jun popped out of nowhere and he flinched. Wiin continued eating the entire bowl of radishroom.

And then, he called out “Fucking Fate of Foresight,  _ fuck _ ,” as the Onu chase scene banged up even though it's mostly suspenses and music building up the freaky stuff.

“Mercy, mercy, mercy,  _ JUST RUN FUJIK, OH MY FORTUNE, YOU DUMB SHIT _ ,”  he screamed.

It was calm for a moment as everything came to the close in the movie.

“Are you guys watching Jun Onu?” Apartment 21 asked through the wall.

They glanced at each other. “Yeah, we're just finishing it up,” Shi called back.

“Oh, cool! Do you guys wanna marathon together with us? We're looking at some fantasy movies.”

They shared a look. “Maybe later.”

“Oh, okay! See you… later.”

Then Shi screamed and Wiin looked at the screen just as the Onu appeared and in a creepily fast crawl managed to tackle the main character. “You are  _ so _ lucky I love you, Wiin, otherwise I’d have sworn betrayal by now!” he shouted and the final jumpscare literally had him crawling into her arms.

She hugged him back as he literally cried into her chest, laughing like she hadn’t in years.

\--

She came by Daeta’s bookshop the next day with leftover rice and some of the sushi cake she still had.

Maybe he sensed something wrong (although a small feeling in Wiin told her that she’s probably not imagining the feeling of being extensively guarded) because the first thing he said was, “I'm going to kill them.”

“Okay?” she said and doesn't mind when he reached across the counter to hold her hand despite just telling her his murder plans.

He’s all threats and insults that don't really feel as blasé as he probably intended and there's a glint like the knife edge in his eyes that're too far driven. “I'll find that fucking fucker and Eam will let them fucking rot in the Spirits.”

Despite it all, when they popped open the containers of food and brought out the cutlery, Wiin felt genuinely better.

Daeta kicked out three chairs and helped hoisted one over the counter to her side just as Ravel brought out tea from the back. “Do you like ginseng tea?”

“Ugh, just get green tea next time,” Daeta scrunched up his nose even as he poured a cup for himself.

Wiin tilted her cup and he took it as well. She blew on it before taking a tiny sip. It scalded her tongue. “I like black pearl-leaf tea.”

“That's surprisingly bitter considering how much you like sweets,” Daeta pointed out as he evenly divided the rice into their bowls and spread out the side dishes so that everyone's favourites was closest to them.

“It's the only one I drank growing up,” she shrugged back. “I can't stand anything too different by now.”

“Well at the very least you don't like those fruity ones,” Ravel said, looking lovely even in a dusty bookshop and eating reheated take away.

Daeta coughed. “ _ Blasphemy _ .”

Wiin grimaced around a mouthful of thinly sliced lamb-mammoth meat. “Trut likes them.”

“One of the reasons why we split up,” Ravel said and ate her spicy pig-cow like it hadn't made Wiin almost cry at how hot it was.

She blinked at the new information and wondered how much she could badger Trut until they admitted to having a thing for dangerous people. “I'm guessing you helped with their fashion sense. They  _ really _ liked neon as a teenager.”

“They still do,” Daeta interjected. “Before Ravel showed how cool pastels were, their entire wardrobe was primary colours and the worst combinations imaginable.”

“And now?”

He smirked. “Only seventy percent.”

“When can we meet up again?” she asked quietly.

He tipped his eyes to hers. “Soon.”

She smiled, grateful and changed the subject. “How's the marriage proposal?” she asked Ravel.

“Going _nowhere_ ,” Daeta answered. “She even has her _vow_ ready. I _know_ because I helped edit the stupid thing four freaking weeks ago. Why are you taking so long? You both literally planned to get married since the _first_ date.”

“I want to do it on our anniversary,” Ravel said.

“But that's  _ months  _ away,” he whined. “You can't just tell me you're proposing to my best friend and then make me  _ wait _ .”

“Politics take patience,” she said with awful mystic.

“But the family already approves and I've already heard he's- oh,  _ oh  _ fucking Spirits, Vance is proposing on your anniversary and you plan to- oh my  _ Goddess _ you guys are so fucking cheesy.”

Wiin laughed quietly. “That's romance not politics.”

“Aren't they but the same thing?” Ravel asked.

“Politics in romance,” Wiin shook her head. “Those are arranged marriages. What you're doing is  _ war _ .”

“And how do you know about this oh wise love guru?” Daeta cocked an eyebrow at her and grinned. “Did you have a an explosive romantic past we don't know about?”

Wiin thought of pictures and folders and a resigned mother who brushed her hair out of her face and said it'd be okay. “I was betrothed,” she said and laughed at their surprise. “When I was about six, a contract was made to the heiress of a major corporation.”

“But that's so archaic!” Daeta scrunched up his nose. “Did you at least  _ like _ your fiancé?”

Wiin shrugged delicately. “I never met her and probably never will. Our marriage was  _ designed _ to be political, there was no need for any personal intervention to jeopardise it.”

He wordlessly opened his mouth and then closed it with a grimace. “So what would've happened if you hadn't been disowned?”

Wiin thought of it for a moment. Truthfully, she hadn't even remembered the engagement until now. “In a year's time I would've met them on a planned day, we’d bring a family member or two and one friend and then exchange an oath and sign the contract, and that would be our last interaction outside of business.”

“What.” Even Ravel said flatly at this.

She leaned her chin onto her fist and felt an Empor smile slide into place. “Marriage isn’t love.” And then she rolled her eyes. “There’s a reason why we kill each other.”

“You are  _ so _ scary when you do that,” Daeta said, pointing his chopsticks at her with a very dramatic flair. “Goddess, you’re so different when you go all homicidal family.”

“It’s like two different people.”

“I had acting lessons remember?” And then raised an eyebrow at Daeta.

He smirked and Warpearl was in his eyes before he softened it to a grin and Daeta was left. “We should do something together. Maybe put on a performance for Ravel’s wedding.”

“I can only really do scary though but that sounds like plan.” She held out her hand and, after he shook it, they turned to Ravel who had finished her meal by then. “What do you think?”

“That sounds lovely.”


	20. Chapter 20

She’s strolling through the alleyways, looking up at the glimpse of afternoon sky that twinkled down a her and wondering about her place in the universe.

It’s been five months since she'd last seen snow. TreeHouse City got wet and cooler edge to its wind but it had never been cold enough to snow. It's spring and the weather was intolerable.

She traced the grooves of the building’s wall, running fingertips and tapping out a pattern she only pretended was nonsensical.

She loved being a florist, loved Seo and the manager and Flowey Sunshine but it was about time that she finally admitted that she missed the ice, missed the music pounding it’s every note into her moves as she poured herself over her life’s obsession. That maybe she was finally done running away and even if she never competed professionally ever again, she was content to simply slipping on her skates and just glide because it had  _ never  _ been about the medal. Not when she was three and she fell every step but got up every time. Not when she was seven and Trut was her closest friend and they glided to music only they heard. Not even at thirteen and she officially joined the big competitive world, and she heard the word  _ Empor  _ whispered like a curse. And especially not when she was sixteen and she cried her last time on the ice and bowed to her coach and her rink mates for what they probably hadn’t even realised was the last time.

It had been because it was cool, it was a time when her moms smiled, it was  _ fun  _ and then family standing, it was the rush of excitement as she executed perfection, it was a thank you and a good bye and her home from white walls and blood that killed and love that died.

**< <Shi: ** _ Do you believe in me? _

**> >Shi: ** _ yeah always _

She held her phone and knew. It's time to go back. She stepped forward, and whipped her head up as another person entered the alley.

She recognised him immediately. Saw it in his eyes and the tight clench of his jaw. She faced her back to the wall and kept her sight trained on the opening and his figure.

“You're Janua.”

He bit his lips and waved, she doesn't return it. “Hi. I, uh, heard what happened and- and I just wanted to say I’m so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen.”

He's more calm than expected. Although, Wiin hadn’t really known  _ what  _ to expect.

"I wanted to speak to you,” she lied because she hadn't, not exactly. “Shi and I are best friends and I love him so you need to  _ stop _ harassing him Janua,” she said, staring straight into his autumn leaves eyes. “You’re hurting him and I cannot forgive that.”

Janua sighed as if he was the one who should be frustrated and roughly ruffled his hair. Her hands itched. “I didn’t want to do that. I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Then stop,  _ please _ .”

“I will, I just-”

“Just nothing,” she interrupted, narrowing her eyes and drawing every Empor superiority complex into the horrible anger gurgling underneath her breastbone. “There’s no justification for harming a person who didn’t do anything to you. You’re just a bully if you think otherwise.”

“I love him,” he said.

“That just makes it  _ worse _ ,” she hissed, wanting to scream in his face but old habits are tightly controlled.

He goes onto an impressive speech Wiin could barely stand where he explains that despite their break up, after he saw the two of them at the theatre together, he felt betrayed and really angry even though he knew it was unjustified because it’s been months already since they’ve broken up. 

“Later though, after I had calmed down, I knew that honestly I had always just wanted to let go and try to reconnect with Shi as friends because being friends really was more our thing.”

Wiin decked him. Hard and in the face which was pretty stupid but entirely too satisfying. He stumbled back and dropped because, pissed off, she had instinctively punched him in the jaw.

“Then stop being such an annoying, stupid  _ asshole _ and hurting Shi and actually resolve all this!” She yelled. “Just stop! Stop it! You’re making him cry! You’re making someone you ‘love’ feel horrible! That's not how you treat someone you want to be friends with!”

Then there’s shuffling from behind her and  _ Fwelix  _ she’s so  _ stupid. _ How could she have left her back wide open? She whipped around just as the stranger from the shop drew back their arm and managed to dodge the punch to her head to her shoulder.

Ducking low and keeping her core centred, she stomped on their foot, and elbowed the centre of chest in the next move. They ‘oof’ed and snarled and attempted to punch or slap or simply hit her. Their fist cracked painfully into her cheek and she tasted blood. With her palm flat, she slammed their nose in but careful enough that the bone won’t reach their brain and they fell down, screaming.

“Oh Spirits,” Janua said, and Wiin stupidly looked towards his voice.

In the next moment, her head was slammed into the wall and she dimly felt a searing pain in her arm before she passed out.

\-- 

Wiin awoke to Daeta smiling down at her. She's in a hospital, she knew instantly from the smell to the sounds of a private room. She's never been a patient but she would always recognise this place. She sat up slowly and he helped her.

“You apparently have malnutrition, have sprained your arm, have multiple scrapes and bruises,  _ and _ a possible concussion,” he said quite calmly although she knew the slight hitch in his voice all but confirmed that he was beyond pissed off. Still, he held her hand with shaking fingers and his callouses caressed her scarred skin with gentleness. Her throat closed, choking her on the inside with emotion.

“No concussion,” she said and he sighed, reaching forward to brush the hair out of her face with a look of careful devotion.

She heard thundering footsteps and in the next moment Shi marched through her doors with a fuse unlit and murderous intentions.

“Oh Foresight,” he said as he looked at her, “I will _kick_ _their asses_ and _bathe_ in the blood of their pleas for mercy.”

Daeta smirked, eyes gleaming like funeral pyres. “Now that is a plan.”

It's the first time the two guys agreed on something and of course it'd be retribution.

Wiin closed her eyes. “Okay, stop, stop,” she said and physically separated them from their war plans. “I do not want either of you to go to jail because they murdered someone.”

“Ah, but the trick is to not get caught!” Daeta began with dramatics and ignored her narrowed-eyed gaze. “Therefore, no jail.”

“At the very least don't involve Shi, his parents would be upset with me.”

Shi mumbled. “I can murder whoever I want.”

“Yes and I can throw myself off a cliff and it'd basically equate to what would happen if you do that. Be rational, darling.” As soon as the words were out, self-loathing attacked her instantly and she grimaced. “I'm sorry, that came out very condescending. I'm not in the right state of mind but of course that doesn't excuse my actions-”

Shi hugged her.

“You're okay.”

She closed her eyes. “Yeah.”

“Why don't I get a hug?” Daeta said, effectively diffusing the heavy atmosphere.

“Because you don’t like hugs,” she said and let go of Shi.

“True enough,” he said and then nodded to the open door. “Speaking of dislike, I believe we have a few unwelcome guests.”

She spotted Janua’s hair and-

“Oh for fuck’s sake, why is Miss C here?” Shi rubbed his temples.

“Wiin?” Daeta said, an offer in his smirk.

“Please don’t make a sense.”

“Of course not.”

Daeta got the woman to shoot it with barely a few sentences and a smile that Wiin knew he had stolen from her. He ignored Janua after Wiin subtly shook her head ‘no’.

He stepped into the doorway but didn’t fully re-enter her room. “Are you okay, dear? Food? Drinks?”

She shooed him off, “Some food would be nice thank you.”

Shi looked at Janua with frown and Wiin watched as they caught each other's eyes and quickly turned their heads away. Fwelix it was almost unbearable looking at them.

“The nurse said that he's the one that brought you in. What did he want with you?” Shi asked.

“To apologise for that incident.” She expressed exactly how much she thought of that with a frown. She shook her head. “He should have apologised to you first.”

“Nah, I'd have just yelled at him for bringing his asshat friends into this stupid mess between us in the first place.”

Wiin clenched her her hands together and thought before she decided.

“This is only a suggestion but perhaps you can listen to whatever he wants to say next time,” she said and watched as a blizzard of different emotions flitted through his face.

“What?”

“ _ I _ , personally, think that it may help you feel better because of how you splitted up. It's  _ my _ opinion. You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she held her hand out and he took it without hesitation. “I will always, always believe in what you choose for yourself.”

His phone beeped and then the chords of Hopes to Dreams blasted the quiet. Shi sighed.

“Okay,” he said to her and stood up with his phone in hand. “I'll stop running.”

Walking out the door, Wiin could hear him talking to Janua and with obvious restraint, Shi suggested that they should calmly discuss their situation in the future.

Janua accepted with audible surprise.

She leaned back and for once felt like she's done something worthwhile.


	21. Chapter 21

Daeta waltzed back with the promised food, what Wiin was pretty sure was her own eReader with a new reading chip on folk tales, and one Ravel who read it to her while Daeta tried to piss off Shi who can't do anything in the Hospital if he wanted to maintain his reputation.

Ravel was a terrific reader.

Trut appeared later in the dead of the night and only winked when she voiced her worries of them getting caught. Once they saw her injuries though, Wiin had to hold them tight and whisper reassurances that she was alright as they clung desperately to her.

The next day, the landlord and receptionist came by with Seo and Manager (the four of them coincidentally knew each other) and brought with them a large enough fruit basket that it'd take Wiin weeks to finish. She appreciated it all the same. The receptionist was worryingly red when Wiin thanked her and even more red when Wiin asked if she was alright, stuttering out that she was fine, absolutely, 100% okay. The landlord waved off Wiin’s concerns off with a sharp but genuine smile of amusement.

Seo stayed behind for a bit and was weirdly feeling responsible but she poked him before he could spill a guilty speech.

“I'm responsible for my own actions,” she said.

He rubbed fingers together, tracing over his Terra tattoos. “Still, I wished I could've helped you.”

She held out her fist. “You're helping me already.”

He smiled hesitantly and fist bumped her.

Daeta, who been coming every day but had purposely avoided when any people he didn't know was in there, later came by to pick at the fruit basket. Scrunching up his nose at the papua-oranges, which he handed over to Ravel, he usually took an apple-ring or a bananya and peeled popogranites for Wiin.

A few days later and Harb dropped in with Al and they both brought with them a whole pile of little get well things; sweets, flowers, plushies, cards, balloons of every shade. It honestly looked like they had raided the gift shop.

“Hi Wiin! Oh my gosh, your arm!” Harb shrieked.

Al was quick to flick her in the forehead, “Quiet down, you’re in a  _ hospital _ .”

Wiin quickly assured both of them that it was only a sprain and would heal in no time.

“How do you guys know each other?”

“She was my neighbour,” Al answered. “It was like two in the morning and she was yelling in Dreemspech. I called her a nuisance and told her to go to sleep. She called me an asshole.”

Harb grinned. “It was friendship at first argument!”

The girl’s bubbly nature and Al’s mild one relaxed her further as she smiled at their bickering and attempts of waxing poetics of their respective jobs when they really spent two hours trying to one up the other as they told increasing awful customer stories. Even in the disgusting hospital scenery, it didn’t have to be so bad and by the end of it Wiin was even laughing every few moments.

Harb said a few prayers of healing while Al drew a few signs onto her temple for stability, comfort and luck. Dreemspech was beautiful no matter how many times Wiin had listened to it.

Looking through the instsnap feed later that night, maybe it was the notifications of tagged photo or just looking through her recent uploads but she suddenly realised how many people she knew now. How besides the apartment building and Flowey Sunshine’s, in the beginning, she had literally no other phone numbers in her phone. Now, she had Seo, the Manager, Shi, Daeta, Ravel, Harb, Al, the receptionist’s personal ones, and unknown number that still made her want to tear up with a smile. It's been less than a year since she's been in TreeHouse City and she' already has actual  _ friends  _ who genuinely care for her enough to visit.

“Everything will be okay,” she said, clutching the mobile device between her hands and trying not to cry.

**\--**

Wiin got out of the hospital a week later. (The process a little bit faster than what Shi had recommended especially with the malnutrition that she hadn't even realised she was suffering. Her twitchiness with hospitals had eventually made its appearance though and most definitely had something to do with her quick release.)

The sun shined blindingly bright as Shi and her walked to the bus stop and she relaxed into the gentle way he held her all the way home to her apartment.

Once inside, he asked quietly with the reassurance that she didn’t have to answer, and Wiin found that the reasoning behind her aversion was easier to say now, not by much but at least it doesn't get the reaction of holding back dry sobs and choking through the words anymore.

“My name was Wiin Empor,” she didn’t have to look up to know his eyes had widened with recognition, “I had spent years going in and out of the hospital visiting my mother and I hated every second of watching her die. She did, though, die; when I was sixteen and I had a massive psychological meltdown. I stayed with my other mom for three years until I realised I was also going to die if I didn’t get out because that self-destructing person wasn’t my mom anymore and would've gladly let me rot to death. I finished my degree in floristry and ended up here after being removed from the family register and changing my name to Temporar. And that's all you need to know about me.”

He wiped the tears away with a cloth and rested his head against hers.

“You're not just that,” he said looking teary eyed as well because he was an empathetic mess. “You're kind and you're strong; you  _ literally _ punched a guy three heads taller than you because he was being a stupid to  _ me _ . You have one of the most beautiful hearts I've ever seen because you still care despite the cracks and try so  _ hard _ enough for an asshole like me to love you.”

“If I was even half the things you said I am then you're not an asshole,” she sniffled. “‘Cause you're my best friend and I love you too.”

Shi blushed and Wiin laughed quietly like bell chimes.

“Gotta balance out your goodness,” he muttered and she rolled her eyes.

(Weeks later, Ravel brought along an old and incredibly worn family album that had ash covering its insides. She had appeared at Wiin’s apartment one random morning with it and they spent the whole day talking in Fwein and Rah.)

At work though, her Manager was very strict on only letting her stay on desk duty for the following weeks. Although, Seo allowed for her to sneak behind every once in awhile to "help" him (which was basically just handing him the equipment).

Everything was going to be okay.

**\--**

Janua passed by the flower shop a few times to buy whatever the special was. He said to her that the flowers really livened up his home and that he actually liked them a lot, that he doesn’t mean anything by coming over but he’d leave if it bothered her.

(She also found out through him that the asshole he had been trapped with also been jailed sometime between her getting into and out of the hospital. She made Daeta a bouquet of Kol flowers.)

She doesn't stop him from coming because... well, while it felt a bit tense every time he had came, after Shi called her on the day what she knew was the agreed time he and his ex had decided to finally let go of their bad blood and officially break up, well, it felt a bit easier then.

“ _ Let’s go out Wiin. _ ”

“Yes.”

**\--**

Once a month, Daeta and sometimes Ravel took her to various shabby stairways or, rarely, let her into the back of Daeta’s bookstore. Mostly though, Trut visited her during the dead of night time’s darkness.

They spent those nights on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and quietly talking about what had happened during the last few years since their separation or nothing at all.

She mostly listened to them talk about their life, her life wasn't exactly that thrilling to speak of unless they  _ really _ wanted to hear about how with every medal she won whether it was bronze, silver, gold or nothing at all because she had quit halfway, her mother got worse and worse and she cried and cried because  _ she was better than this _ . She was an  _ Empor _ until she realised  _ oh, _ she wasn't anymore. Not when her mom burned down their home on the day of the funeral. Not when she only managed to salvage a box of belongings that only caused her to throw up when she looked inside. She wasn't an Empor _. _ But, maybe that was okay.

She doesn't speak of that. Not yet at least and they understand.

Their stories aren't much better but at least they're much more exciting and even eventually ventured into adventures with Daeta and Ravel and two or three other friends they don’t name. The details were vague but the laughter was real and that's all Wiin cared about.

“I'm happy,” they said one night, lacing their fingers together.

She smiled and held on tighter. “Me too.”

Then they sat up and grinned with an excited gleam in eyes that mirrored hers. And because they will always know the best for each other, “I-I want to see you skate again. Please. Not for a medal, but for  _ yourself _ .”

**\--**

It was the first time she skated, the first time she had stepped onto a ice rink in  _ three _ years. And as much as there was a sting of hurt and an alienness to it that makes her heart clench all the more when she remembers how the ice had once been her  _ home _ , the tears that gather at her eyes are filled with a complicated but genuine happiness. The sound of blades and chill greeted her with light, childlike wonder as they brushed against her entire body, whispering a quiet, hopeful, “Welcome back.”

She missed the greatest love of her life.

She was only mildly aware of Trut going off the rink and Daeta and Ravel’s disappearance as her simple circles eventually evolved into the choreography that could have, should have been her senior debut. For some reason she still remembered every step of it, every double, loop, toe, combination spin and each glide of the step sequence and she  _ poured _ all the emotions of pain, misery, mourning, hope, happiness,  _ love _ , death and  _ life  _ with every bit of rusty, artistic skill she still astonishingly held. It’s not a perfect performance but it's the best she had  _ ever _ been on the ice.

And slowly, hesitantly, she doesn’t mind the cold after that.

“I'm home.”

**\--**

Shi and her finally went on their official date months later when neither of them were too busy with their individual lives.

(Shi got a batch of exams due dates that had him screaming while Wiin finally signed up for figure skating lessons again. When she rocked up for the first class, it went a little something like this:

“ _ Wiin Temporar?”  _ Her couch said, turning to face her before he openly gaped. “ _ Wait- wait- wait, are you  _ Wiin Empor _? Two time World Junior Division and Grand Junior winner? Finnel’s three Junior gold medalist? The former champion of Welscor?” _

She cringed. “ _ Yeah _ .”

“ _ Oh my Goddess, _ ” he had said. “ _ Oh my Goddess, does this mean you’re finally making your senior debut?! _ ”

It had never been about the medal but, “ _ Yes. If I can. _ ”

“ _ Nonsense, of course you can! Oh goddess, but you look a bit out of shape, my dear. You'll need a fitness trainer and I know just the person! Have you heard of Vituri Katiforv?” _

“ _ Of-Of course _ !” She said a bit indignantly because that man was her  _ idol _ .

“ _ Good because he’ll be your new mentor!” _

What.

Wiin trained four out of seven days a week -- Vituri was amazing and beautiful and incredibly sweet and sent ridiculously gorgeous selcas because  _ she has him on instasnap _ , Fwelix, how was  _ this _ her life? -- and had special access to the ice rink she had gone to with Trut that time, because apparently Daeta  _ owned _ the whole thing. A night time escape when her insomnia still got the best of her.)

They went to the same bakery they had during the Fire Stone Festival after which they watched a play he chose that time around. It’s pleasant and the memories made them grinning with nostalgia.

“Friends?” Wiin only has to say after the date.

Shi nodded. “Yeah,” then he smiled, “always.”

The day after, Daeta jokingly asked her out in front of Shi but before they really punched each other, Wiin declared that she'd much rather date Ravel who readily ‘accepted’. Although, she dramatically sighed that her boyfriend had already agreed to marry her so Wiin would have to be the forbidden affair.

Daeta let go of the choke hold he had Shi in and whooped. “Finally!”

Ravel dramatically revealed the wedding invitations she had hidden up to that moment. “I hope you're still going to perform for the wedding,” she said to Wiin and Shi who looked honestly lost at the invitation in his hands.

“Can I do the flower arrangements too?” she asked, gently patting Shi on the shoulder. He finally blinked and said a quiet ‘thank you’.

Ravel’s smile curled into something softer, less scripted and it looked so bizarre and so  _ right _ on her. Wiin held her breath. “Of course.”

**\--**

Harb joined them at Selsta every so often with her sludge of the blackest coffee ever to exist in humankind. Shi had almost died when he had accidentally taken a sip of it the one and  _ last _ time he had been too concentrated on complaining about an assignment to notice that the cup in hand wasn’t his. He barely made it to the bathroom to vomit. Every time the bright girl joined them now, Wiin clutched at her own cup (of warm water because Vituri was  _ ruthless _ ) in fear that she'd also accidentally make the same mistake.

When Wiin told Daeta about it though, the guy was curious enough to try it and managed two sips before calmly striding to the bathroom to too throw up. Harb sniffed at both of them.

**\--**

Al had literally one day popped into everyone’s homes to completely renovate them to fit his techo loving self. Wiin could display things on a  _ TV  _ now and had already marathoned ten scary movies with the mechanic and Ravel who  _ always _ somehow knew when they were having a scare night. Shi begged her to let him off those nights but gladly joined her when a movie of whatever they felt like watching was finally available online or, when they both felt like it, a million science documentaries that they'll curl up on the couch together to second-handedly watch as they focused on their individual work.

Daeta dropped by after presumably hearing about the movie nights from Ravel with a streaming gift card. Not really knowing what to watch, they browsed through the animated movies section before settling on one that looked cute. They didn't finish it.

In fact, Wiin ended up calling Shi for a hug after watching Vari’s dad die for the first time as Daeta awkwardly tried to rub her back as she hiccuped through the call. He almost immediately turned up and threw a customary dirty look at Daeta and held Wiin in the gentlest and best way possible as she sniffled into his shirt. The three of them watched a bunch of action-comedies after that, Wiin purposely in between the two volatile individuals.

Vituri (who laughed when she told him what happened) brought about a thousand romantic comedies on a harddrive and they enjoyed it after training although Wiin always cringed at the clichés that he unabashedly loved.

A month later, Harb introduced console games when asked if she liked movies (she preferred shorter films) and everyone ended up at Wiin’s (neutral ground) apartment with Harb’s games and Al’s console and getting their collective behinds kicked as Shi, university-student extraordinaire, turned out to be insanely good at practically every game they played.

“What do you think Janua and I fought about the most?” he said to a curious Wiin who had surprisingly managed to remain in the second place for almost all the rounds of MiniKart. Mostly because he took bestfriend duties pretty seriously and gave her tips when he passed off his controller to someone else. Wiin caught on pretty fast after that.

But, it was pretty obvious that Shi was gunning for first place simply to spite Daeta. The guy kept threatening to throw Shi out the window if he didn't stop being ‘a condescending piece of  _ shit _ , I can still wipe the floor with your little  _ IntoU _ Guild on SC&T’. Shi only hid his smirk into Wiin’s hair.

Harb, who had given up by that point and was making  _ something _ delicious in the kitchen, suggested playing a fighting game her girlfriend had given her.

Al, who had been immediately labeled the undisputed  _ worst  _ at games, turned out to be only  _ worst _ when they played combat games. He only laughed though whenever he died which was  _ always _ . But it should be noted that even Shi struggled to maintain his all kill streak against Ravel and, surprisingly enough,  _ Wiin _ who was apparently an extremely lucky  _ and _ dirty player.

“Fwelix Empor,” she said under her breath with a roll of her eyes.

With a crowing vengeance, Daeta later defeated all of them at the puzzle and board games none of them had no doubt he specifically went out to buy.

It evolved into them all came over for weekly game/hang out day and Wiin’s crappy fridge was eventually replaced and filled with the food Ravel and she went out to buy only to be restuffed by Harb with the ‘better options’. The two women looked at each other and shrugged.

“Food is food,” they said and Harb screamed.

\--

Wiin sighed quietly, her breath releasing a familiar spray of wet cloud. She stuffed her hands into the pocket of her coat and didn't look as the woman that came to stand beside her.

In front of them, a golden marvel stood tall against the ground as the figures of Nova and Fwelix intertwined in their marriage of unpredictability, their multiple heads stretching to looking at the sky with dramatic flair. The inscription on its box base still looked almost new like a scabbed over wound.

She placed her bouquet of iclings and crystal-blooms onto the ground as the other woman inclined her head.

They both lit a small incense and placed it into the glass box that contained the connection of spirit.

For a few more moments, they stood there and simply stared with memories in their eyes.

Without a word, they both left in opposite directions and Wiin never once looked back.

Snow fell onto her earmuffs.

**\--**

At Selsta, Al easily slotted in beside Harb where Ravel, Daeta, Shi and Wiin were already seated and Wiin took the moment to look around at all of them, catch Shi’s eyes crinkling in amusement, and grinned.


	22. Epilogue

She was on the roof, watching the sunrise engulf TreeHouse city and two years later she’s still taking another picture. This time, though, she took a selca with a crown of flowers in her hair and her face beaming with a smile bright and colourful as a thousand stained glass windows that’s weathered through centuries. She quickly uploaded it and opened up a text message that popped up.

**> >Vituri<3:** _You made it to the final!! <3 I’m so happy we can go together then! Have fun in the meantime but make sure to keep control of your intake! See you sweetie~ <333_

 **< <Vituri<3:** _I will. Come back safe, okay? I'll wait for you at the station and then we can pack together._

 **> >Vituri<3:** _I can't wait!! I swear I'll get gold from that snobby Hauna rep while you can destroy the world again! Going under tunnel soon, I'll face call you later. Love you!_

She smiled down at her screen as she sent a heart. He replied a bunch of kissy faces and she laughed. Just as she was about to put the phone back into her pocket, it buzzed again.

**> >Shi<3<3:** _Arrived at Selsta_

 **> >Shi<3<3:** _Ravel said Daeta’s picking you up? Why would you agree to THAT again? Dont you remember what happened the last time he drove you?_

 **> >Shi<3<3:** _Oh we just got the news! Youre in!!_

 **> >Shi<3<3:** _And Harb’s just dragged Al heOHMYGOD Congratulations Wiin!! This is Harb btw!! Come soon!! We love you!!!_

Everything was okay.

**End.**


	23. Extra

_Extra._

_Hi, this is Wiin Temporar. I’m the character you’ve been reading about for the past few pages. Thank you so much for reading up to here and I hope you had some fun along the way despite all my embarrassing moments. It’s been a long and rough ride but I’m actually really happy now. I know you may feel sad or angry or apathetic or whatever shades of emotion you may be experiencing right now but I hope you know that everything will eventually be better like it did for me. Don’t worry, I’ll always be there for you to hang in with, okay? I trust you. I believe in you. And I will always, always love you so, please believe in yourself as well, okay?_

_Thank you so much._

_We'll meet again. I'm sure of it._

_-Wiin Temporar._

_P.S. Shi is very cute and I hope Vituri won’t be offended by me saying that he’s honestly the cutest person ever._

 

_Extra. 2_

_Hey I’m Shi Kappa, I’m the side character in Wiin’s story. Thank you for being here along with us and, especially, with Wiin. It’s been a long journey for both of us but I think it was completely worth it in the end. Now if only that asshole Daeta can get lost. But if he makes Wiin happy, I suppose I can’t complain too much. I hope my love story and Wiin’s_ _love_ _story (very big difference here) could be felt by you._

 _On my side, this love story was very typical. I was the cold heartless bastard with a warm inside and then suddenly a girl showed up one day and changed my whole life as I began to love her. And I’m glad. I’m so so happy and grateful and beyond words in how happy I am to meet my soulmate because that’s what Wiin_ _is_ _to me. My soulmate. My best friend. My most beloved person. I’m so happy I met you, Wiin. Thank you so so much._

 _Ah, sorry, I rambled on. But one word of encouragement I would like to tell you is this: Thank you, I believe in you, and I’ll be here for you. Don’t live your life without these words and if no one else says them to you than I’ll tell it to you now. Thank you for being with us for this whole time. If you feel a bit confused or lost or simply just sad then I believe in you, you’ll get through it. And finally, I and Wiin and_ _everyone_ _in here will_ _always_ _be here for you._

_-Shi Kappa_

_p.s. Vituri is pretty hot but Wiin would slay any day, everyday._

 

_Extra. 3_

_Good luck._

_Thank you._

_Have fun._

_We'll be here for you._

_Always._

_Forever._

_We love you._

**fin.**

**Author's Note:**

> With love to Lili and Janey, my motivators from beginning to end. Especially to Lili for help creating the ship name Wish.


End file.
